Secrets of the Past
by Starbeam13
Summary: Pre-OotP Harry is faced with a few more surprises during his final years at Hogwarts. A new teacher by the name of Miranda arrives with a questionable past. How will Harry survive his finale years at Hogwarts? Read and find out! Please RR!
1. Chapter One: The Memories

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The Secrets of the Past

Chapter One: The Memories

"You'll never escape me, Harry! I'm everywhere, so there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. Eventually you will end up just like your parents. You'll never win!" said Voldemort who was now laughing and pointing his wand at Harry Potter. 

Harry was cornered in a dark room with his back to a wall. He had a feeling that this was the end for him. He would never get to see his friends Ron and Hermione again or his godfather Sirius. He would never get to graduate from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He would never get to play Quidditch ever again. Voldemort was right, he would meet the same end as his parents had fourteen years ago.

"Avada Kedavra!" yelled the dark lord. With that a blast of green light shot from the end of Voldemort's wand that was heading straight for Harry.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" cried Harry as his eyes were now blinded by the green wave of light.

"NO!" cried Harry who was now out of breath and in a cold sweat. He looked around at his surroundings and realized he was in his bedroom at Privet Drive with the Dursleys

He had been having the same dream for a week and a half now, ever since he came back from school. He had been haunted by the attack on him that had happened just a couple of weeks ago. The sight of the graveyard he was taken to, the look on Cedric Diggory's face when Harry saw his dead body, watching Voldemort come back to his full power; all of these events had been clouding his mind. But the sight that just seemed to never go away were the visions of his parents. Just thinking about it made his eyes sting. The look on his mum's face, the sound of his dad telling him to hold on, all of these flashes of his memory haunted him day and (most especially) night.

He looked over at his alarm clock that was on his nightstand near his bed, which was blurry to him since he didn't have his glasses on. But he could make out that the time was now 12:38 in the morning. He couldn't stand to stay in bed any longer for fear that he might fall back to sleep again which was the last thing he wanted to do now. He got out of bed quietly and walked over to his window and stared out into pure darkness. He really didn't have anyone to talk to for a couple of days now because Hedwig had been gone a couple of days. She was delivering a letter to his godfather Sirius Black, telling him about his dreams. Although he didn't tell him exactly what they were about, since he didn't want to worry him. He just told him that he was having difficulty sleeping and needed someone to talk to.

Harry knew that if he went and told the Dursleys about what had happened just a few weeks ago, they would probably be disappointed that he didn't die instead of Cedric. He wanted to tell his best friends Ron and Hermione about what he was going through. But he knew that they wouldn't understand and he also didn't want to worry them even more than they already were.

As he continued to look out at the dark and deserted street that laid before him, he saw some movement in the sky. There were two birds flying directly toward him. One of the birds was larger than the other. As they drew near Harry realized that the birds were his pet owl Hedwig and Ron's owl Pig. He opened his window and let them fly into his room and land on his bed.

Pig (Pigwidgeon) looked exhausted from his trip from the Burrow. Harry untied the letter that was attached to the little owl's foot and carried him over to Hedwig's cage so he could have a drink.

"There you go Pig. Just relax now." said Harry as he turned back to his bed and noticed that Hedwig also had something tied to her foot. "What have you got Hedwig?"

He took the letter from this owl's foot and opened it. It was a letter from Sirius.

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Dear Harry,

I'm sorry to hear about your nightmares. I know what you went through was very difficult and I'm glad you can talk to me about it. I know for a fact that both Lily and James would have been very proud of you and of what you did. The only thing I can tell you is to try and not think about it. I wish I could do more for you, to be there for you.

But here is a bit of news that might cheer you up. If all goes well here, you might not have to stay with your aunt and uncle all summer. You'll be staying with your friend Ron and his family, just as a precaution. There have been a couple of rumors going around and Dumbledore thinks that it would probably be best to stay with a wizard family for a bit. This will also allow me to visit you more often.

Stay safe and mind the muggles just a bit longer.

-Sirius

"What? Leave the Dursleys for and entire summer? I can't believe it. It's like a dream come true!" exclaimed Harry to his owl who was now nibbling at some food in her cage. Harry then took the letter from Ron and began to read it.

Hi Harry-

I don't know if Snuffles told you yet, but there is a pretty good chance that you can spend the summer with us instead of the Dursleys. (How are you holding up with the muggles?)

I hope that this will bring you some good thoughts. Hermione said she might come over and spend the last few weeks of vacation with us, since she's taking a trip with her parents. (Oh, goodie more of her badgering.) I know that what you went through was rough. But, if you need someone to talk to, you can count on me. Stay safe. 

-Ron

P.S. Fred and George want to know if you want any Ton-Tongue Toffee to use on your cousin.

"Thanks Ron." said Harry aloud to himself. He looked over at Hedwig and Pig who were now starting to fall asleep. Harry went over to his desk and picked up the leather bound photo album that Hagrid gave him a couple of years ago. He layed down on his bed and took out a flashlight that was near his nightstand and began to look at the wizard pictures of his parents. He looked at his parents wedding day picture with his mum and dad waving and smiling at him. Also in the picture were his godfather Sirius Black who was smiling at him too, and a very pretty woman with light brown hair. Harry didn't know who the woman was. He never saw her before, but he figured that she was probably a friend of his parents. Then he came across another picture. This one was of his parents and their friends when they were at Hogwarts. He could recognize one of the people in the picture as Remus Lupin, another one of his dad's mates. One of the guys was making a face at the camera that Harry recognized easily as a younger version of Sirius because of his long black hair. He also was a short chubby figure that was sitting near his dad whose hair was messed up just like Harry's. He knew that this was Peter Pettigrew, the boy who later betrayed his parents by telling Voldemort where they were hiding. He saw his mom sitting in the middle of two other girls all of who were sitting near a fireplace. He recognized his mom, Lily, by her auburn hair and bright green eyes. The girl to her left had jet-black hair, brown eyes, and was laughing. The girl to her right had blond hair and bright blue eyes. She looked as if she was laughing so hard that her sides were beginning to hurt. From what he could tell, everyone in the picture look very happy at the time.

He then started to wonder whether he would be that happy. The thought of being with the Weasleys the rest of the summer holiday seemed like a dream come true. Harry would do absolutely anything to escape the wrath of his oversized cousin Dudley. He had spent enough summer holidays being pushed and shoved by him. Plus he wouldn't have to hear his aunt Petunia annoying voice or his uncle Vernon barking orders at him.

He started to image what it would be like to live at the Burrow again. He could see him, Ron, and his twin brothers Fred and George running through the garden kicking out gnomes that would hide in the flowerbeds. He could also imagine sitting at the kitchen table answering all of Mr. Weasley's questions about muggles. But most of all he could see himself practicing on his Firebolt. Just flying in the air practicing dives and turns was pure heaven to him 

With all these visions popping up in his head, Harry could feel his eyes grow heavy. Soon he was fast asleep dreaming of being free from his muggle relatives and soaring through the air on a Quidditch field. But most of all he wasn't dreaming of being chased by the dark Lord Voldemort.

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A/N- I hope all of you like the start of this. I know it sounds familiar but it will get interesting soon. I'm open to new ideas for the story so please review.

Now I would like to thank a few people for helping me out with the story. First I'd like to thank the usual, my family for putting up with me and my ideas for the story. Second I'd like to thank my best friend Kelly. Thanks for all those lunch talks and helping me come up with new twist and turns and plots. You are a great friend. 

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Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!!!!!!! I'm a poor little student who doesn't even own a cell phone. It's all J.K. Rowling. I only own the characters and plots that I made up.


	2. Chapter Two: Late Night Vote

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The Secrets of the Past

Chapter Two: Late Night Vote

On the same night, several parties gathered together at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Professor McGonagall, Professor Severus Snape, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, and Corky Bluntter all sat around a round table that sat in the middle of the Great Hall. The four long house tables had been placed against the walls, which gave the room a very eerie and dark feeling about it. There were only a few candles lit that cast gigantic shadows against the walls. All of the parties had been called by Professor Dumbledore to discuss the crucial crisis that now lie before them. 

"Well what do you expect Remus? Voldemort will come after Harry one way or another." said Sirius.

"I know Sirius! But do you really think Harry should leave the Dursleys?" asked Remus. "I mean he's been safe there for almost fourteen years now. None of Voldemort's Death Eaters know where the Dursleys live."

"Yes but sooner or later they will find out. Voldemort knows that Lily was muggle-born and that she has a sister. It's only a matter of time before the Death Eaters find them. And when that happens…." said Sirius as he trailed off. "I made a promise to both Prongs and Lily, that if anything ever happened to them that I would take care of Harry."

"Humph. And look at the _wonderful_ job you have already done. What with you being in _prison_ and all." said Snape sarcastically.

Sirius gave him a loathing stare. A rage of anger started to build up in him. Underneath the table he was flexing his hands uncontrollably, and wanted to jump across the table and ring Severus slimy neck. The only thing that contained him was Remus, who was sitting next to him and was giving him looks that Sirius read that this was neither the time nor the place to start a fight.

"Like I said before, Molly and I would be more than happy to take Harry in until the start of the new school year." said Arthur Weasley.

"Thank you again Arthur, but what happens when he and the rest of the students come back to school?" asked Remus. "There are a ton of threats from all of Voldemort's supporters and they all say that he's going to come after all the wizardry schools. I know Dumbledore is great, but no wizard can be able to protect an entire school of children from an army of Death Eaters."

"Remus is right. We need some sort of help from the Ministry." said Arabella. 

"Oh, I wish Dumbledore would get here soon with the news." said Corky. "If we don't get help soon, then it's definitely going to be difficult to defeat You-Know-Who."

As conversations broke out among the group, the hall doors opened and emerging from the darkness of the pitch-black corridor was Professor Albus Dumbledore. He walked over to the table, which was now silent.

"What it is Albus? What news from the Ministry?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Not good I'm afraid." said Dumbledore. He sat down in the empty seat between Professor McGonagall and Sirius Black. His light blue eyes didn't seem to sparkle as much as they usually do behind his half-moon spectacles. The expression on his face looked as if he had a million things on his mind, which showed in the aging lines around his face.

"Cornelius and the rest of the Ministry won't listen. They are still convinced that what happened at the Tri-Wizard Tournament wasn't caused by Voldemort. They refuse to believe that he has come back into power." said Dumbledore.

"So is that it? We're on our own?" asked Arabella.

"Not necessarily, Arabella. There are still a few members that are unsure of what to believe yet. But we can worry about them a little bit later. Right now I would like to address the new threats made on the school and the students." said Dumbledore who was now starting to look like his normal self.

"That is what we were just getting to when you walked in, headmaster." said Snape.

"Ah, well then I just came in in the nick of time, then." said Dumbledore.

"With all due respect Professor, I think that we should close the school until this crisis is over with." said Mundungus.

"That is out of the question! If we close the school, then that will surely send a wave of terror throughout the country." said Professor McGonagall.

"I agree. If we close the school, then that will give Voldemort more ammunition against us. Most of the parents believe that the only place their children will be safe is here at Hogwarts." said Corky.

"Well what are we suppose to do then, hmm? If You-Know-Who is going to pick up where he left off, then he's going to go after all the schools. And the first one to be hit will be Hogwarts!" said Mundungus.

"Now wait a minute Mund. We can't assume that yet. We don't know for sure what Voldemort is going to do." said Sirius.

With that said, the group broke out into several arguments. Tempers were beginning to rise until Professor Dumbledore raised his hand to silence the parties before him.

"Calm down everyone. Calm down. We are not going to close the school, nor delay its opening. We will open Hogwarts as scheduled. But we will enforce new rules on the students that Minerva, some of the other staff members, and I have made up." said Dumbledore.

"What sort of rules Albus?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"Just a few little things. Minerva would you care to read some of them?" asked the headmaster.

"Certainly. We'll ask that all students return to there houses by nine o'clock each night. Also we'll have them traveling in groups of three or more when they are walking through the grounds, and that no student is allowed to be outside after sunset." said Professor McGonagall.

"Ha!" chortled Snape.

"Is there a problem Severus?" asked Dumbledore.

"No headmaster. But do you really believe that some of the students will actually follow these rules? I mean you know that some have a reputation for breaking rules and wandering around the grounds at night. They seem to like to go off and get into all sorts of trouble, but who can really blame them when you look at who they are related to and associate with." said Snape as he glared over at where Remus and Sirius were seated, with a look of loath on his face.

The feeling was mutual for both of them. The look on Snape's face caused Sirius to jump up from his seat, but Remus grabbed him by the shoulder and forced his friend back into his seat. They both knew what he was getting at with that comment.

"If you are implying that my godson is some sort of problem child, then you had better think again, Snape." growled Sirius who was now starting to grind his teeth.

"I didn't say a word about Potter." said Snape who was trying to sound innocent. "I merely stated it as a fact among all the students. But now that you mentioned it, Potter does seem to like to get into sticky situations doesn't he? Just like another Potter I once knew and his gang of friends. If you ask for my opinion, I think that Harry Potter shouldn't come back to Hogwarts. I'm mean after all, he _is_ the main reason why the Dark Lord is threatening to come after this school." said Snape

At that moment, Sirius couldn't contain his anger any more. He leaped to his feet, knocking over his chair and grabbing Remus's wand that was sticking out of his pocket. He pointed the wand directly at Snape's heart.

"HOW DARE YOU! HARRY WILL NOT BE SHUNNED LIKE SOMEONE WHO HAS THE PLAGUE! IT'S NOT HIS FAULT THAT VOLDEMORT IS AFTER HIM!" yelled Sirius.

"That's enough! Both of you!" said Dumbledore in a slightly raised and more harsh tone of voice. "Sirius, please sit back down." He complied with Dumbledore's request.

"Sorry, professor." he said in a low voice. 

"Now, Severus like a stated before. I will not have _any_ student removed from this school and that includes Harry. But I did have an idea as to how to ensure that if some student or students do manage to get out, that they will not be harmed."

"How?" asked Remus, Arthur Weasley, Arabella, and Corky at the same time.

"By bringing in a new teacher. One who is trained in the Dark Arts and has dealt with Voldemort before ." said Dumbledore.

"That's a wonderful plan Albus, except where are you going to find such a person?" asked Arabella.

" Yeah, all the wizards who did stand up against You-Know-Who are all…well…dead." said Mundungus.

"Not all of them, Mund. There is one person in particular who knows exactly how to deal with this type of situation and how to protect everyone at the school in case I am unable to." said Dumbledore.

"Well that great, but why didn't this wizard stop You-Know-Who the last time he was in power?" asked Corky.

"Yes, who is this wizard that you speak of, Albus?" asked Mr. Weasley.

"The reason why this person didn't stop him the last time is because she wasn't strong enough back then. Plus who had a lot to deal with back then." said Dumbledore.

"She?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"Yes Minerva, the person I speak of is a witch." stated Dumbledore.

When he said that a look of panic came across Remus, Snape, and Sirius's faces. The only one person that came to mind with that description was that of one from all of their past. Someone who they all thought would never hear from or of again.

"Whoa, wait a minute, Professor. You can't be talking about who I think your talking about. Are you?" asked Snape.

"Yeah, y…you can't bring her into this Dumbledore. The last time she faced Voldemort she nearly died!" said Sirius.

"Besides she gave up her powers a long time ago." said Remus.

"She did?" asked Sirius who looked at his friend with a sense of surprise in his voice and in his eyes. Remus nodded in response to his friend's question.

"Yes, I am well aware of that Remus, but she is our best chance at defeating Voldemort." said Dumbledore.

"Are you _really_ sure you want her to come back?" asked Sirius.

"Yes, I'm sure Sirius. I mean of all the wizards in the world, I was sure you would be supportive in this idea. After all, she was and is still a very powerful and clever witch. But do you have any reason as to why I shouldn't be? ." asked Dumbledore.

"Well…no, not…not really. I mean, yes she is qualified, more than qualified…but…" said Sirius as he strayed away.

"But what?" asked Dumbledore curiously.

"But do you really want her to go through all that again? I mean, do you think she can handle him again?" asked Sirius unsurely.

"She will be able to handle it, that I am sure of Padfoot. I have my complete faith in her." said Dumbledore.

"I don't believe this! This is a very bad idea Dumbledore. Bringing her back into our world, My God! You might as well just…" said Snape as he was interrupted by Sirius.

"If Dumbledore thinks she can get the job done, then she _can_ do it." said Sirius.

"Knowing her she'll stop at nothing to protect the students. Heck, she might just go and end Voldemort's reign once and for all." said Remus.

_"That's what I'm afraid of." _thought Sirius. 

"For heaven's sake who are you all talking about!?" asked Arabella.

"She was one of the top aurors back when Voldemort was first in power. She helped save the lives of thousands and stopped a number of Voldemort's supporters. She was one of a few people who stood up to Voldemort himself, and her name is… Miranda Starmenter." said Dumbledore.

"Miranda?!" Are you sure that is a wise choice Albus?" asked Professor McGonagall.

"You can't be serious Albus? Miranda? Come on now. Let's be reasonable. You'd have better luck wishing for Merlin to come back to life and help stop You-Know-Who." said Corky

"Yeah, I mean they say that the girl isn't all right up there, if you know what I mean." said Mund. 

"She isn't crazy!" said Sirius as he shot up from his seat yet again. "She was…just…upset."

"_UPSET?!_ Upset? The woman practically…" said Mund, but was stopped by Dumbledore who raised his hand again.

"That's enough of that Mund. We are all perfectly well aware of what happen, but that's in the past." said Dumbledore. "Now if I'm not mistaken we are now in the present and we are in a situation that Ms. Starmenter could possibly help with. So…are there any _solid_ objections as to why we should not ask her? Then we shall put it to a vote then. All those in favor of not having this plan put into action raise their hand." Professor Snape, Mund, and Corky raised their hands, although two of the three didn't seem so sure into their decision. "All those in favor on going with this plan?" asked Dumbledore. With that, Professor McGonagall, Remus, Arthur Weasley, and Arabella raised their hands. Everyone then looked to Sirius who hadn't voted yet. He was staring down at the floor, with a look on his face as if he was trying to think up of another solution, but none seemed to come up. Finally, he raised his head, closed his eyes, and slowly raised his hand in favor of going on with this plan.

"Well then, it's settled." said Dumbledore.

"Um, Albus? How are you going to find her? I mean know one has seen the girl for years." said Arthur Weasley.

"My sources say that she is living in France as a muggle. So then, I shall leave tonight for France and tell her of our situation." said Dumbledore. He and the rest of the table rose out of their seats and began to walk toward the door. Mundungus, Arabella, and Corky were discussing in whispers of what each of them thought of their new plan. Professor McGonagall and Arthur Weasley were finalizing some plans they were talking about before the meeting, while Snape and Sirius gave each other loathing stares of pure hatred that were broken when Remus forced Sirius to the door.

As the two Marauders reached the Great Hall's doors, they noticed that Dumbledore had already reached the main doors to the school. Sirius started to feel like his stomach had dropped to the floor. He turned to Remus who nodded, and the two of them started to run toward the main entrance.

"Professor, wait!" called Sirius.

As they reached the front doors, Dumbledore turned with his eyes now filled with the same twinkle that always seemed to be there.

"Yes, what is it Moony, Padfoot?" asked Dumbledore.

"We wanted to wish you a safe journey, professor." said Remus.

"And that if you need any help or if you run into trouble, to send an owl to us." added Sirius.

"That's very thoughtful. Now is there a message you would like me to give Ms. Starmenter?" 

Remus and Sirius both looked at each other with questionable expressions on their faces.

"Well you could tell her that…that…that.." said Remus.

"You can tell her that we would really like for her to come back. And that if she can't come for herself, then come for Harry's sake." said Sirius.

"Very well then. I shall see you in a few days." said Dumbledore. When he reached the bottom of the stone staircase, he climbed into one of the horseless carriages and was off to Hogsmeade to start his long journey. Sirius and Remus both stood out side the front doors and watched as the headmaster made his way down the slope to the schools main gate. Then, after Dumbledore was out of their sight, Remus turned to his friend.

"What happens if she does come?" he asked.

"Well if…_when_ she comes, then we might have a real chance at ending this once and for all." said Sirius.

"How do you think Harry's going to react when he sees her?" asked Moony.

"He'll probably be thrilled, once he finds out who she is." stated Sirius as he started to descend from the school.

"And you?" asked Remus.

Sirius's head then jolted up at Remus with a surprise look upon his face.

"I…I…don't know." 

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A/N- Thank you to all who review. I hope you enjoy the story so far as much as I enjoy writing it. Hey keep the reviews coming people, they are a lot of help. Thanks again to Kel for helping me out with the ideas.

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Disclaimer- I am not repeat _NOT_ J.K. Rowling. I merely borrowed her characters and invented a few of my own. I own nothing except my ideas and characters. 


	3. Chapeter Three: A Letter From Home

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The Secrets of the Past

Chapter 3: A Letter From Home

"Jay?! Lil?! Oh, where are they? James?! Lily?! Harry?! James! Lil…y. NOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" laughed a shrill voice.

"NO!" screamed Miranda as she sat up quickly in her bed. Beads of sweat were running down her face as she began to catch her breath.

The night she found her two best friends murdered still haunts her dreams every now and then. But for some reason her dream has been more frequent and a little bit different. Instead of just seeing her friend's cold dead bodies like she usually does, she heard someone laughing. But it's not and ordinary laugh. This laugh sounded cold, murderous, and evil. As she started to regain her breath, she looked at her alarm clock that was now going off and read the time as 6:15 a.m.

"Great, another day." she said sarcastically as she got out of her bed and turned off her alarm. She stretched out her muscles in her arms and shoulders as she made her way to her bathroom. When she got to her mirror, she opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out her toothbrush and paste and began to brush her teeth like she did every morning. As she looked at herself brushing her teeth, her reflection suddenly stopped brushing.

"You look terrible, girl." said the reflection.

Miranda finished rinsing out her mouth and looked up at her reflection which now had its arms crossed.

"Shut up, Christine. I don't need you antics this morning." said Miranda.

"My aren't we in a foul mood this morning. What prince charming was a no show last night?" asked Christine the reflection.

"I don't want to talk about it." said Miranda in a low voice as she turned to walk into her room again.

"Oh, wow! He must've _really_ screwed up this time." said Christine.

When Miranda reached her full-length mirror that stood in a corner of her room, Christine had reappeared.

"So tell me what the jerk did now." said Christine.

"He didn't do anything, and he's not a jerk." said Miranda as she began to change into a pair of black pants and a white button down blouse for work.

"Well, come on! Tell me! You know you can. I mean I am you after all. Come on! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!" wined Christine.

"Look if you must know he didn't screw up. Kevin did show up, but he… we got into a fight and we…" said Miranda as she trailed off.

"You what? What happened?"

"We broke up, o.k.?" 

"_I don't believe it_! What was wrong with him, huh? He was great!" exclaimed Christine.

"It just wasn't meant to be, ok. Let's just drop it." said Miranda as she was finishing up buttoning her shirt, and fixed her long blond hair into a ponytail before putting on her make-up.

"It's _never_ meant to be with you Miranda. You meet a guy. You go out with him, and then the moment you start to get close, you push him away! At this rate you'll never be with anyone." said Christine.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Chris." said Miranda gloomily as she finished putting on some mascara.

"Ya know what I mean. Why can't you just let someone get close?" asked Chris.

"Well if you haven't really noticed I'm not exactly normal here, am I? And I don't want to get into another one of these discussions again, all right? I'm starting to run late." said Miranda in a definite tone.

"Geez, why can't you just get over it! You know, not all men are exactly like…" said Christine before she was interrupted.

"If you even say his name I swear I'll shut you up so fast you won't even know what hit you." said Miranda in a threatening voice that startled her mirror-self.

"_Sorry_!" said Chris sarcastically. "I forgot no one's suppose to mention _his_ name. Are they?"

"You know damn well what that bastered did to me and the rest of us. As far as I'm concerned he can rot in hell for all I care!" stated Miranda as she started to put on her black leather purse onto her shoulder and head for her bedroom door.

When she got to the front door, she was met, yet again, with her mirror-self at the mirror that hung near the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Chris.

"Work. I'm already running late."

"Are you sure you really want to work at a time like this?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll see you when I get back."

"Uh, did you remember your cell phone?" asked Chris

Miranda then turned and walked toward the coffee table in her living area and picked up her cell phone. She then turned around and headed out the door.

"Thanks!" she called as she closed the door behind her.

"Anytime. See ya later." said Christine.

After locking her door, she walked down the three flights of stairs to the busy public street of Paris, France. She started to head down the street toward her favorite café where she went everyday to buy her morning up of coffee. She watched as a number of tourists were looking at their maps and translation books to find out where they were going. She always enjoyed this time of year in Paris. The smell in the air, the warm sun shinning brightly over the beautiful city; it kind of reminded her of when she use to live in New York as a kid, before her and her family moved back to England. When she reached the café she greeted the people who worked there happily and ordered her usual morning coffee. As she left the café, her cell phone rang and she looked at the caller ID that read "Nicole" and answered it.

"Bonjour Nicky." said Miranda

"Hey Miranda. What's up? Where are you?" asked Nicole.

"I'm heading toward the office right now. Where are you?"

"I'm sitting at my desk trying to avoid Richard."

"He's back already? I thought he wouldn't be back from his trip for at least another week or so!"

"I thought so too. But he's here now."

"Great, just what I need now. More of him acting all high and mighty."

"So tell me about Kevin. How did things go last night?"

"I'll tell you when I get there."

"Oh, no. What happened this time?"

"Like I said, I'll tell you when I get there. I'm just about to get into the building see you a few."

"O.K. then. Bye!"

Miranda had finally reached her office building of BLACK CAT ADVERTISING. She walked in with a bunch of other people dressed in suits and ties and walked to the nearest elevator. She then got on and rode up to the twelfth floor of the building. When she got out the receptionist who was busy answering phone calls greeted her.

"Bonjour Ms. Starmenter." said Rachel the receptionist.

"Bonjour Rachel. Any messages for me?" asked Miranda.

"There on you desk. Nicole came and got them for you."

"Thanks. Don't work to hard now." said Miranda as she turned a corner and walked down the hallway, heading toward a room filled with cubicles to get to her office. She greeted a few people while passing through the rows of cubicles and asked a number of the people sitting behind them how their projects and accounts were going. She was only a couple of feet away from her office when she ran into her friend Nicole.

"Hey Andy! How are you?" asked Nicole as she brushed her brown bangs out of her eyes.

"I'm doing o.k. How are things going? What's our day look like?" 

"Busy! Mr. Donaldson wants to hold a meeting with all committee heads at one. He says he has some big news or something. We still need to go over the Markmen account and call the people at Jay and Kay to reschedule the photo shoot.

"O.k. then, lets get to work." said Miranda.

"Whoa, wait a minute. So what happened with Kevin."

"Nothing really except…we broke up."

"What? Oh, honey I'm so sorry."

"It's not all his fault though, I mean we just didn't fit together, that's all."

"Didn't fit what exactly?" asked a curious, deep voice from behind the two women.

Miranda and Nicky both stopped and turned around. They were now face to face with a tall, handsome blond hair man with sort of a snobbish attitude.

"Richard, how lovely to see you. How was your trip?" asked Miranda kindly as she tried to suppress the urge slap that smirk right off his face.

"Fine. Although when I came back, I expected to find one of my top people hard at work, instead of talking about her personal life."

"Well, for you information Richard, we were just talking about some new ideas for an account. And besides if I'm not mistaken it sounds to me like you were eavesdropping. Which I know couldn't possibly be true now." said Miranda sweetly.

Richard's face all of a sudden turned bright pink. He stood there a minute dumbfounded and finally turned and walked away, while muttering something under this breath.

"Man, I can't believe that guy. He shouldn't even be the Director of Marketing. The only reason he got the job was because his daddy's best friends with Mr. Donaldson." complained Nicky.

"Yeah. But hey at least I got him to shut up for a few minutes." said Miranda in a more cheerful tone.

"True. Well o.k. then, I'll meet you in your office in five minutes to go over some of the accounts." said Nicky

"O.k. then." stated Miranda as Nicky walked off and down a different hallway.

When Miranda finally reached her office door, she looked up and fixed her nameplate with was slightly off center. The nameplate read: Ms. Miranda C. Starmenter, Co-Assistant Director of Marketing. When she got into her office, she went over to her desk and picked up the messages that were left on her desk. She then went over and opened the blinds on the window that looked out onto the floor of BLACK CAT ADVERTISING. As she sorted threw her messages, there was a knock on her door and Nicky's face popped in.

"Come on in Nick." said Miranda as she made her way to the couch that was across the room from her desk. Nicole did as asked and closed the door behind her.

"So come on tell me what exactly happened with Kevin." said Nicole as she sat down next to Miranda on the black leather couch.

"Well, he came to the restaurant on time and we sat and ate and had a great time. Then we went for a walk and we were talking about bunch of things that were happening to his friends and their girlfriends, and then all of a sudden we got on the subject of moving in together. And then…I don't…I freaked. I told him that I wasn't ready for that type of a commitment. I mean, yeah o.k., we have been going out for like a year and a half, but…I don't know."

"So then what happened after you told him that?"

"He got all upset and said that we should. He told me that he loved me and that he understood what I felt, but he wanted to take the relationship to the next level. Then he said that if I didn't feel the same way then maybe we shouldn't see each other any more. So I told him if that's the way he feels, then fine. And then he left, and…that was it."

"Oh, Andy I'm so sorry." said Nicky.

"I know it seems like I'm never really ready for a serious commitment, but I'm sorry I can't deny what I feel. That's just the way I am." said Miranda who was now looking a bit agitated.

"Well, hey, forget him then. If he can't respect your wishes, then he isn't worth your time." said Nicky in a sympathetic tone. "Come on then, let's just get these accounts done with. Hey maybe tonight we can go out to the club. What do you think?"

"Maybe." said Miranda.

"Hey what's this?" asked Nicky as she picked up one of Miranda's messages. "You got asked to join Lightening Crossroads Advertising? They're one of the best ad agencies in England!"

"Yeah but, I'm not going to take it."

"WHAT!? Why?" asked Nicky

"Because I really don't want to go back to England. I have a lot of bad memories there. That's why I left and came to France."

"But…it's Lightening Crossroads!"

"I know! But I'm not going. I much happier here. Besides I made a promise to myself that the day I set foot back into England, it will be a cold day in hell. Now can we just drop it and get back to work." said Miranda in a tone that ended Nicky's attempts to try and change her mind.

The two co-assistant directors went to work on the accounts until the meeting at one. When they got there they found out from Mr. Donaldson that one of their employees was going to be heading a big new account that the firm had just acquired. Nicky was sure that Miranda would have gotten the position, but unfortunately it went to Richard who look all smug as if he knew it all along.

"Probably got daddy to convince him to give the position to him." whispered Nicky. "This is ridiculous. You should have gotten that. You're _way_ more qualified then he is."

After the meeting, Miranda went over and congratulated Richard on his new position, just so he wouldn't come and gloat to her later.

"Well congratulations, Richard." 

"Thank you, Miranda. Oh, and so sorry that you didn't get the position. Well, better luck next time." said Richard in a smug tone.

Miranda was trying extremely hard not to say or do anything that she might regret later. As she fought her urges to wipe the floor with this snotty, spoiled, rich guy, a young intern by the name of Jacob came up to the two of them with a letter in his hand.

"Umm…Ms. Starmenter? This just arrived for you." said the shy intern.

"Thank you Jacob."

"Oh, what's this? A love letter from you boyfriend. I didn't know that personal letters were allowed to be delivered to work. After all I thought this was a place of business, not the Dating Game." said Richard as he walked away from a now seriously enraged Miranda.

For the next couple of seconds, Miranda just stood there staring at Richard as he walked away loathing him. He reminded her of two people she once knew when she was young, especially with the blond hair and "holier than thou" attitude. She walked all the way back to her office trying desperately to suppress her anger. When she got into her office, she went over to her couch sat down and screamed into one of the pillows. As she stared to regain her breath, she picked up the letter that Jacob had given her. It was a tan envelop with her name and address written in green calligraphy, and a red stamp the said "Urgent" on it. When she turned the envelope over to open it, she noticed that is was sealed with a red wax seal that had an emblem imprinted in it that read "Hogwarts". Miranda's stomach gave a lurch when she saw the emblem. 

"Oh my…" she whispered to herself. "Jacob?! Jacob!" called Miranda as she went to her door and opened it. "Jacob!" She looked around at all the people walking around and finally saw the tall, young brown haired intern that she was searching for.

"Jacob can I talk to you for a sec?" she asked.

"S…sure Ms. Starmenter." said the very she intern.

"Please, Miranda. Umm…when did you get this letter?"

"Uh…"

"Your not in trouble Jacob. I just want to know when you got it that's all." said Miranda as she tried to calm him down.

"Oh, um…a few minutes ago. Yeah, is was hand delivered by some old guy." 

"Old guy? What did he look like?" she asked curiously.

"Well, he had um, white hair, umm…light blue eyes, glasses, and a beard that looked liked it was tucked into his coat."

With that description, only one person came to mind. "Dumbledore?" whispered Miranda.

"Excuse me? Are you…alright…Miranda?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Thank you, Jacob." said Miranda as she hurried back to her office. Right before she entered it, she went over to a near by cubical and asked the person behind it to make sure that no one would disturbed her. She told the women that she was going to be in a conference call for at least a half hour.

"Sure no problem, Ms. Starmenter." said the woman as Miranda went into her office. 

She closed the door and locked it, then she closed the blinds to the window that allowed her to see what was going on outside her office. She quickly opened the envelope to find that the piece of paper inside it was blank. _"Huh? What the…wait."_ she thought. She put the piece of paper and envelop on her desk and went over to the picture that hung over her couch. She swung the picture open to reveal a safe behind it. She opened it and emptied out the contents in it. When the safe was completely empty, she looked to make sure no one was near her door or window and then muttered the password. "Merlin's folly." Suddenly, the back wall of the safe let out a soft hiss and opened to reveal a secret compartment behind the wall. In it was a long slender blue box that Miranda pulled out.

"Never thought I'd have to use this thing again." she said to herself as she opened the box and pulled out her wand. She looked at it for a second, remembering the day she put it in the safe. Miranda then went and sat behind her desk, pointed her wand at the letter and said, "Reveal." Suddenly the blank paper became filled with words. She read:

__

Dear Ms. Starmenter,

I request for your presence today to discuss a matter of the highest importance. This meeting involves a situation that has developed in recent weeks, which I feel requires you immediate attention. 

Please be aware of any signs of unusual events that might take place. I shall meet with you at one o'clock tonight. Please try to be punctual and make sure that you are not followed.

Best of luck!

Yours sincerely,

Professor Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster

"Situation? What situation?" asked Miranda to herself. She sat at her desk for a long time, pondering as to what Dumbledore could want. When she finally started to regain her sense of reality, she noticed one of the pictures on her table behind her desk. She got up and looked at the picture of her, holding a little baby boy, and an auburn hair woman. She picked the picture up and gazed at it for a while, remembering the day the picture was taken, when there was a knock on her door.

"Who is it?"

"Miranda it's Me." called Nicole from behind the door.

"Just a sec." she called as she went and threw the contents back into the safe and closed it, and quickly hid her wand and the letter in her desk before she went and unlocked the door.

"Hey what's up?" asked Nicole.

"Oh, nothing. Just opening up some mail." answered Miranda.

"Really?" asked her friend in a questionable tone.

"Yeah, umm…I got a letter from my old school in England."

"Oh, what some sort of invitation to a class reunion or something."

"Yeah,…you could say that. So what did you want?" asked Miranda eager to change the subject.

"Hmm…oh, I just wanted to see how you were doing with the whole Richard thing."

"Oh, I'm fine. I could really care less about that man, if you can even call him that." said Miranda as she made her way back to her desk.

Nicole looked on her desk and saw the photo she was looking at just before she knocked.

"Who's that?" she asked.

"Oh, that's my friend Lily. She was my best friend at school. And that handsome little boy I'm holding is her son Harry, my…godson."

"Ohhh, his so cute. Do you keep in touch with them?"

"Umm…no. She died shortly after that picture was taken, along with her husband James. Car crash."

"Oh, how terrible. Well what happen to Harry?"

"He lives with his aunt and uncle in England. Even though that was against his parents wishes." said Miranda who looked at her friend who now had a questionable look upon her face. "See, Harry was suppose to go and live with his godfather. But then he got into some trouble with the law and was sent to prison. So he went to his aunt and uncle."

"Why didn't you get him?"

"Well, some people thought that it would be better if he lived with his aunt and uncle. They already had a son, and they thought that they could give him a better home instead of me." said Miranda bitterly.

Nicole looked at her friend and could see that the memory of her friend and godson hurt her terrible. "When was the last time you saw him, Harry I mean?"

"About fourteen years ago. His aunt and I don't really get along very well. He's nearly fifteen now."

"Have you ever thought about going up and visiting him?"

"Oh, loads of times. But I don't think he really remembers me. Plus I don't think I could bear to see him, knowing what happen to his parents."

"You must have really cared for them."

"They were my best friends. I loved them very much." croaked Miranda as her eyes started to sting with tears.

"Hey it's almost time to leave. Why don't we go and hang out at the club?" asked Nicole who now eager to change the subject.

"Yeah sure, why not." said Miranda as she wiped away a tear.

The two friends then later when to a near by club called "The Lion's Heart". They both met up with some of their other co-workers. All of them hung out there for a few hours, drinking, dancing, and having a great time. When it got to be around 12:45 a.m. Miranda decided that she had had enough partying and decided to go home. As she walked through the streets of Paris, she started to get the feeling that she was being followed. When she was a few blocks from her apartment, she decided to take detour. She walked along some of the side streets in order to loose whoever was following her. A feeling of panic started to come over her as she reached into her pocket and grabbed a hold of her wand that she retrieved out of her desk before she left for the club. When felt that her stalker was closing in on her, she hid down an ally, pulled out her wand, and waited a few minutes. When she thought that she had heard his steps closing in, she jumped out with her wand ready to attack. But when she looked around, know one was there.

"_Your losing it, Star._" she thought to herself.

When she finally reached her apartment, she opened her door to find that her home was completely dark. She went over to a table turn on a lamp. When she did that, a roaring fire appeared in her fireplace, even though there was no wood in it.

"Ah, right on time." said a cheerful voice coming from a dark corner behind Miranda.

The voice startled her. She quickly turned around with wand pointing straight at the old wizard who was speaking to her from the shadows.

"GOD! You scared me half to death! I though it was illegal, even for wizards to sneak into people's apartments."

"Forgive me my dear, but I had to do it." said the cheerful old wizard who now stepped out of the shadows and into the light that was made by the fire, who reveal himself to be the great Albus Dumbledore.

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A/N- Thank you to all who reviewed. I'm sorry this chapter is so long but I'm probably not going to be able to update for a while, since finals are starting to come up. But I'll try to keep up with the story. I hope you all enjoy the story so far. Keep the reviews coming I enjoy reading them.

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Disclaimer- It's all J.K. Rowling. I own nothing expect the character Miranda, some other characters and, my ideas and plots. 


	4. Chapter Four: He's Back!

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The Secrets of the Past

Chapter 4: He's Back!

"_Some things never change_." thought Miranda. "It's so good to see you, Professor!" said Miranda as she went over and hugged Dumbledore.

"It is good to be seen, my dear. Although I must say you certainly are hard to track down. Never in all my years have I had such difficulty finding one person." said Professor Dumbledore.

"Well, apparently not that difficult. Otherwise you wouldn't be standing if front of me now, would you?" asked Miranda playfully.

"Ah, touché. You have definitely kept your wit about, I must say." chuckled the professor.

"I guess all those years of practice have finally paid off. Well, enough of these silly little games. What brings you to France now?" asked Miranda.

"Hmm…yes my reason now. I assume that you had received my letter earlier today?"

"Yes, I have. You said something about a situation. What sort of situation?" inquired the now curious witch.

"One that I'm afraid we have feared for years. You see…" said Dumbledore, but was interrupted by someone yelling.

"WHERE IN THE BLOODY HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! Do you have any idea what time it is? You say that your going to be home at a certain time and then…" bellowed Christine who was standing in the mirror right by the door.

"CHRISTINE!" shrieked Miranda.

"What? Oh! Professor Dumbledore,…forgive me. I…didn't see you." said Christine who was now turning a bright pink.

"That's perfectly alright. How are you this evening, Ms. Christine?" asked Dumbledore.

"Oh, I'm fine. Er…Professor, what are you doing here? Not that you need a reason to come. I mean you're more than welcome to. It's just…why at this late hour?" asked the embarrassing reflection of Miranda.

"He _was_ just about to tell me until, _you_ started going through one of your little drama queen moments." said Miranda.

"He, He. Oops! Sorry! My bad." said a Miranda sheepishly. Miranda let out a disgusted sigh and rolled her eyes at her reflection.

"Will you excuse me for a moment, Professor? Oh, and please make your self at home." said Miranda as she walked out of the living room into her bedroom. As she passed the mirror, she motioned for Christine to follow her. When she got into her room, Christine was already in the full-length mirror, hanging her head.

"How many times have I told you? Huh? How many times have I told you _not_ to throw one of your little tantrums when I have a guest, hmm?" 

"I'm sorry! I didn't know that he was going to be here. What is he doing here anyway? I thought you covered your tracks?" asked Miranda with a puzzled look upon her face.

"I did, but this is Dumbledore were talking about. He sent me a letter today talking about some situation that has come up." said Miranda as she changed out of her work clothes and into a pair of sweatpants, a tank top, and a hooded sweatshirt. 

"What could that mean?" asked Christine.

"I don't know. But from the look on his face, it doesn't sound good."

When Miranda returned to the living room, she found Dumbledore sitting on the loveseat that was nearest to the door looking at a muggle magazine. "Interesting." is what he said about some article that was in it. 

"Sorry about that. She's been a little melodramatic lately." said Miranda

"It's quite alright, Miranda. In fact I rather missed hearing your Christine's little shows." said Professor Dumbledore who could now see Christine start to turn pink again in a small mirror picture frame.

"Would you like some tea, Albus?" asked Miranda.

"If you are offering, then I shall accept."

As Miranda started to make her way to the kitchen to make the tea, she remembered whom she was with. So she pulled out her wand and muttered a spell. Suddenly a hot teapot, sugar, lemon, cream, and two cups appeared on a tray that was set on top of her kitchen counter. "Wingardium Leviosa", she muttered and the tea tray then started to float in midair. Miranda then used her wand to direct the tray to her coffee table.

"Here you go professor." said Miranda as she offered Dumbledore a cup.

"Thank you. I hope you didn't think that my presence should interfere with your normal what of life."

"Sorry?" asked Miranda with a questionable look upon her face.

"Your use of your wand, I mean." said Dumbledore as he added some sugar to his tea.

"Oh, that. I just didn't feel like waiting forever for the tea to be done. Now, …um Albus, what exactly are you doing here in Paris?" asked Miranda as she sat down on the couch across from Dumbledore.

"Well, like I stated before, there has been a problem that has recently developed. One that involves the school, and its students, and especially…Harry."

"Harry? What…what's wrong with him? Did…did something happen to him? Is he all right? Is he hurt?" asked Miranda as her voice started to rise with concern.

"Harry is physically fine, my dear." (_"Physically?" _thought Miranda) "But psychologically…well that's another story. You see, Harry has recently been through a terrible ordeal." With that said a worried look came across Miranda's face. Dumbledore tried to form words to break the news easier to her, but he couldn't find them. "Well I guess there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to say it. Harry…was attacked along with another student a couple of weeks ago."

"_Attacked_? By whom? What happened to him?" asked Miranda as a sudden fear started to rise in her that made her stomach drop.

"This past school year, Hogwarts hosted the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Harry and the other student, Cedric Diggory, were competing in the final task and they both had won the competition. But when they grabbed a hold of the cup, they were then transported to a graveyard in Hangleton."

"Transported? You mean someone transfixed the cup into a Portkey?" inquired Miranda

Dumbledore nodded his head and continued his story. "There they were confronted by their attackers; but unfortunately Cedric was killed. They then took Harry, tied him up, and used him to perform a spell to restore one of his attackers to his original form and power."

And ice cold sense of fear started to rise in Miranda. She felt her stomach start to twist and turn as she thought of the wizard who attacked Harry. "Albus wh…who was the wizard?" asked Miranda wishing, hoping, that Dumbledore wouldn't give the answer she feared.

"The spell was meant for the dark lord himself…Lord Voldemort." said Dumbledore with a heavy sigh.

__

CRASH was the sound that came when Miranda dropped her teacup.

"_V…VOLDEMORT_? VOLDEMORT! He's…he's _back_? But…I thought that…I mean…" said Miranda as a wave of panic came over her. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and started to take in what Dumbledore had just told her.

"How could this have happened? When I left, Voldemort had barely enough strength to stay alive!" exclaimed Miranda.

"Voldemort has actually been trying to come back into power more these past couple of years. He even tried to get a hold of the Sorcerer's Stone." A surprised look came over Miranda's face but was dismissed when Dumbledore responded, "But it was destroyed."

Miranda then stood up and started to pace behind the couch slowly. A million thoughts and memories flooded her mind. All of them seeming like a nightmare, one right after the other. Destruction, chaos, and especially death haunted her memories. The thought of Voldemort with his snake like nose, bright red eyes, and the sound of his raspy voice, made her skin crawl and sent chills down her spine. After a few minutes Miranda looked over at Dumbledore who was looking at her waiting for her to respond.

"Where is Harry now?" asked Miranda.

"He's with the Dursleys now, but he will be moved soon in order to keep him and the Dursleys safe."

"What exactly did Voldemort do to Harry, when he had him?" 

"Voldemort used Harry's blood to make the potion that brought him back." said Dumbledore with a tired look on his face.

"Oh well that's just great!" said Miranda in a sarcastic and frustrated tone. "Now that Lily's curse is gone, Voldemort _can_ get him and finish him off."

"How did you know about that?" asked Dumbledore is a surprised tone.

"I kind of figured that that was the reason why Harry didn't die that night, and why he has the scar on his forehead. Lil gave her life to save him. A mother's love will always protect her child." said Miranda with a look of sadness on her face. The memory of her two friends almost brought tears to her eyes. "How _did_ he escape? I mean if Voldemort had him tied up, why didn't he just kill him once he was back to his old self?"

"Ah, well Lord Voldemort wanted to um… humiliate Harry even more so he untied him and forced him into a duel. The only problem was that Harry did fight back and to Voldemort's surprised used _Priori Incantatem_."

"The Reverse Spell? But how can that be? I though that that was only possible if.."

"If the source of Harry's wand and Voldemort's wand came from the place, which they do." said Dumbledore as he finished Miranda's sentence. "The wands connected and the shadows of the victims of Voldemort's wand came out and helped him."

"You mean Harry saw his parents? They spoke to him?" asked Miranda in a surprised whisper to which Dumbledore nodded. Miranda started to envision what Harry must have felt and the look on his face when Voldemort subjected him to the torture of the Cruciatus Curse. The thought of it made her sick and a rage of hatred and anger started to rise in her. After a few minutes of trying to suppress her anger she continued her questioning. "What is Voldemort planning now?"

"Voldemort and his supporters have made several threats on Harry's life and on several wizard families. They have even threatened to attack Hogwarts and submit the students to endless tortures. That's why I have come to you. The threats are becoming more and more likely to come true. We have already set up some more security measures, but I was wondering, well hoping really, that you will come back with me and help protect the school. Just incase Voldemort and the Death Eaters do manage to break the security." said Dumbledore.

"Me!? You want _me_ to come back to _England_? Back to _Hogwarts_? Albus are you sure you want me? I mean I'm honored but,…are you sure you want _me_?" asked Miranda.

"Yes I am quite sure."

"I'm sorry Albus,…but…I can't. I can't go back to England. I mean…no offence though, but have you lost your mind? Do you even remember the last time I was there?" asked Miranda in a slightly raised voice with a puzzled look on her face.

"Yes, Miranda I'm well aware of what happened." said Dumbledore in a dignified tone.

"AND YOU WANT ME AROUND CHILDREN?! After what I did?! Isn't there anyone else? What about the Ministry?" asked Miranda with a pain expression.

"The Ministry refuses to believe that Voldemort has risen again. Cornelius doesn't want to listen to the truth." said Dumbledore

"Fudge? He's the Minister of Magic? When did that happen? On second thought don't answer that. I don't want to know how someone like Cornelius Fudge ever became the head of the magic world. But isn't there anyone else? What about Barty Crouch? Moody?"

"Mr. Crouch died a few months ago. His son, who everyone thought was dead, killed him and joined up with Voldemort and helped him get Harry. Moody was suppose to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this past year, but Crouch's son kidnapped him, and used the Pollyjuice Potion to disguise himself as Moody in order to get close to Harry." sated Dumbledore

"Well who else do you have helping you?" asked Miranda who was desperate to try and think of someone else who could take her place.

"Well there is Professor McGonagall, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Corky Bluntter, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and…"

"Whoa! Wait a minute, did you say _Sirius Black_? But…that's impossible! Sirius is in Azkaban Prison!" exclaimed Miranda.

"He's not in Azkaban anymore. He escaped about two years ago." said Dumbledore.

"**HE DID WHAT**?!!!! HOW IN THE HELL DID ESCAPE FROM THE DEMENTORS?! There's no way he could've gotten away from them! It's impossible!" 

"Nothing is impossible, my dear. Sirius has been on the run and has kept in contact with Harry." said Dumbledore with a smile on his face.

"WHAT?! Harry knows? He knows about Sirius being his…godfather and all?" asked Miranda who could now not contain her anger when Dumbledore simply nodded to her question. "I'll kill him! I'm going to kill him!" said Miranda in a cold and dark tone.

"I'm surprised, Miranda. Of all people I though you would be thrilled to hear that Sirius is free. I mean after all he was your…" 

"HE KILLED JAMES AND LILY!!! HE BETRAYED THEM BY TELLING VOLDEMORT WHERE THEY WERE HIDING!! He was there SecretKeeper! He was James's best friend! He's the reason why Harry doesn't have any parents! Not only is he liar and a backstabber, but a murderer as well! Or have you forgotten that he killed Peter and all those muggles the next day!" screamed Miranda as her rage poured out of her. She could feel a power in her starting to rise that was dark and very powerful. She walked over to one of her windows and tried to get a hold of herself. "I should have killed him back then!" she said as she looked out the window at the night sky. Dumbledore could see that she was very upset and noticed that the tea set started to shake and move slowly across the coffee table, even though no one was near it. 

"My dear, Sirius Black is innocent. He didn't do it." said Dumbledore.

Suddenly the tea set stopped moving and Miranda then turned around, and looked at Dumbledore as if he had gone mad or was on some sort of drug. "What are you talking about Albus? Of course Sirius did it. I was there! I was one of the first Aurors to arrive on the scene. I saw what he did! He blasted Peter away leaving nothing but his robes and one of his fingers."

"Miranda, he didn't kill Peter." said Dumbledore as he reached into his robes and pulled out an old newspaper clipping. "Here, you ought to take a look at this."

Miranda took the old clipping and saw an entire wizard family smiling up at her. "It's a picture of Arthur Weasley and his family, so?" asked Miranda who was now confused.

"Look at his son's shoulder. Anyone look familiar to you?" 

Miranda looked at each of their shoulders, until she came across Arthur's youngest son's shoulder. There on shoulder was a little tiny rat. As she looked at the rat more closely, she noticed that one of its toes was missing. She studied it a little bit more, until the truth finally hit her. "Wormtail?" she said in a very surprised tone and looked over at Dumbledore. "He's…he's alive?! But…how? Why? Why would he be hiding for so long? Unless…" 

"Peter was the Potter's SecretKeeper. Sirius convinced James to change the keeper to throw off Voldemort, and his supporters at the last minute. Unfortunately it turned out that Peter was the betrayer. He confronted Sirius in the ally, and used his wand to make it look like Sirius killed him and the muggles, while he transformed into a rat and slipped into the sewers. He had been hiding out with the Weasley's for years. He was the one who helped Voldemort perform the spell that brought him back into power, too."

A look of shock stayed on Miranda face as she started to feel her legs give way. She went and sat down on the couch. She played the events of Peter's "death" and what happened to Sirius in her head. The look on Sirius's face when he was placed in Azkaban, the things she said to him, everything came back to her as tears started to form in her eyes. "Oh my God! What have I done? What have I done!" she said as she placed face into her hands.

"You didn't know Miranda. No one did. You can't blame yourself for what happened." said Dumbledore as he sat down next to Miranda and placed a comforting arm around her.

"No, you don't understand, Albus. You weren't there. You didn't see the look on his face when I told him all…all those things." croaked Miranda. "I've…I've hated him for so long. I can't believe I did that to him. I didn't trust him. I…I didn't even try to listen to him. And all this time,…all this time he was completely innocent?"

"My dear, it's past now. What's done is done. There is nothing you can do to change the past, but you can make amends now. Please come and help us." 

"I can't go back now. Not after what you just told me. If…if I go back…I don't know if I could face him, or Remus, or Harry again. After everything I've done…no I can't go back. I won't ruin their lives anymore."

"Miranda, do you know what your friends told me to tell you? They told me that they would like for you to come back. And that if you couldn't come back for yourself, well then to come for Harry's sake."

"I suppose Remus told you that. He always was did have a way with words."

"It wasn't Remus who said it. Sirius told me what to tell you."

"He did?" asked Miranda with a surprised look on her face.

"Yes, he did." said Dumbledore. He could see that there was no hope in changing Miranda's mind tonight. "I can see there is no need to continue on tonight, so I shall start to make my way back to Hogwarts tonight. But if you decide to change your mind, I shall be at the Ministry of Magic on Saturday at one o'clock. I do hope you change your mind. It really was lovely to see you again. Say good-bye to Christine for me, and please, be careful."

"You know me Professor, I always am. Safe journey, Albus." said Miranda as she went over to Dumbledore and gave him a hug.

"Good-bye Ms. Starmenter." said Dumbledore, and with that he disappeared from Miranda's apartment with a nice little pop.

As Miranda stood there in the middle of her living room, she could see that Christine was in the mirror near the door, looking at her with her arms crossed.

"Don't even start, Christine."

"I wasn't going to say a word." said Christine with her arms raised to show her innocence.

Miranda's mind was now racing, with a million thoughts. She still couldn't believe half the things Dumbledore had told her only a few minutes ago. A voice inside her was telling her to go, but her head was telling her not too. For so many years, she kept away from the place she once called home, thinking that she could protect the people there she loved more if she stayed away from them. She continued to blame herself for everything that had happened. But she knew that Dumbledore was right, there was nothing she could do to change the past. 

She walked over to her bookshelf that stood next to the window and pulled out a dusty old leather bound photo album. She then turned on her stereo that was located on one of the shelves, and sat down on the couch and began to look at the photo album full of pictures of her and her friends. She came across several group pictures of her, Lily, James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter when they were all at Hogwarts. She also saw a picture of the Gryffindor Quidditch team that James, Sirius, and herself played on when they were there. As she looked at all the pictures and remembered the days that they were taken, Miranda started to feel her eyes sting with tears. It only seemed like yesterday that these pictures were taken. As she came across some pictures from James and Lily's wedding, and a couple of shots of her and Sirius together, she remembered how it felt to be as happy as she was in the pictures. By the time she came across some pictures of the day Harry was born and on the day of his christening, she couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She closed the album and laid down on the couch, listening to the music, and cried herself to sleep.

find me here  
speak to me  
I want to feel you  
I need to hear you  
you are the light  
that is leading me  
to the place where  
I find peace again  
you are the strength  
that keeps me walking  
you are the hope  
that keeps me trusting  
you are the life to my soul  
you are my purpose  
you are everything  
and how can I  
stand here with you  
and not be moved by you  
would you tell me  
how could it be  
any better than this  
you calm the storms  
you give me rest  
you hold me in your hands  
you won't let me fall  
you still my heart  
and you take my breath away…

(Lifehouse: Everything)

__

***********

"Where are they? I know they're somewhere around here." said Miranda to herself as she tried to make her way through a dark, thick forest. She climbed through and over limbs and roots of trees, searching for someone. _"I have to get there before it's too late."_ she thought. 

Finally, after what seemed like hours, she came to clearing and a horrific sight that shook her soul. Standing before her was Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry being taken under siege by Voldemort's supporters and death eaters. There were flames coming out of the North and West towers of the castle, and large whole was in part for the East wall of the school. Small bodies were scattered all through out the grounds. Dementors were scurrying around the lifeless bodies trying to find new victims to perform The Kiss on. The sight, screams, and smell of death made Miranda feel as if she was going to be sick. As she ran through the horrible battlefield, she drew nearer to the lake. At the edge of its shore stood several figures. Nine of the people were standing in a straight line side by side to one another with their hands tied behind their backs. Five of them were adults, three were teenagers and one was a very large hairy man. Standing before them were three men, two of which had on dark robes with their hoods up; but the one standing in between the other two was none other than Lord Voldemort himself.

"Did you people really believe that you could defeat the great Lord Voldemort? Foolish people, no one can stop me. I'm invincible!" laughed Voldemort in his raspy voice.

As Miranda drew closer, she recognized most of the people standing in front of Voldemort to be Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Remus Lupin, Professor Dumbledore, and Sirius Black. The other adult she couldn't make out his face, and she didn't recognize two of the teenagers, one of whom was a girl and the other was a boy with red hair. But as she laid eyes on the third teen, her heart jumped into her throat. She didn't need to see his face to know who owned the messed up black hair. "Harry!" she whispered.

"Soon the world will be mine to control. Unfortunately none of you will be there to see it. So now I bid you all adieu. So much for the great Harry Potter. Avada Kedavra!" shouted Voldemort, and jets of green light shot through the air and hit each of the people standing before him. One by one each of their bodies hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Long live Lord Voldemort!" laughed Voldemort as he looked at he bodies of his fallen victims.

"NO!" shouted Miranda. As she looked around she realized she was no longer at Hogwarts, but in her apartment in France. The sun was just starting to come up and the first morning rays stretched across her floor.

"It was a dream. Just a dream." she whispered to herself as she tried to catch her breath. But it didn't feel like a dream. Miranda had this nagging feeling in her stomach that told her that it was more than a dream.

"I can't go back, not after what I did to them." she told herself. As Miranda got up from her couch, she realized that she dropped the photo album. When she picked it up, she saw the page that the album was opened to. On it was a picture of her holding Harry as a baby. She closed her eyes and remembered the last time she saw her godson. He was so small and innocent in her arms and she remembered how he made Lily and James so happy.

"Andy I want you to promise me something." said Lily.

"Sure, anything Lil. What is it?"

"I want you to promise me that you'll protect Harry if anything should happen to James or I."

"Ah, Lily, don't say that. Nothing is going to happen to you or James."

"Promise me, please Miranda. If anything should ever happen to Harry…" said Lily in a distressed tone.

"O.k., o.k. I promise. I promise I'll make sure that Harry stays safe."

"Thank you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"And you'll never know cuz I'm not going anywhere. Lily,…you, Jay, Harry, Sirius, Remus, Peter…you guys are like my family. I'm not going to let Voldemort destroy our lives."

"Miranda don't go getting any ideas now. You know what happen the…"

"I know Lil. But I can promise you this, I would die before I let that bloody bastard harm one hair on that boy's head. Besides, he my godson for crying out loud. You know I'll protect Harry, no matter what."

With that, Miranda snapped out of her daydream. She was now filled with a sense of determination after remembering the promise she made to Lily all those years ago.

"I promise Lil. Not matter what it takes." she said to herself as she went over to her purse and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed a number quickly and noticed that Christine what in the mirror by the front door.

"What are you doing now?" yawned a sleepy Christine.

Miranda motioned to her to wait a second and talked to the person on her cell phone. "Hello, I'd like to book the first available flight to England, please." 

"_ENGLAND_? We're going back?" asked a shocked Christine.

"We're going back." said Miranda with a smile on her face.

______________________________________________________________________

****

A/N- Oh, I wonder how Harry's going to react when Miranda comes to town. I guess you just have to wait and find out. I'm sorry that it took so long to get this chapter up. I've been busy with finals and getting ready for summer. But now that I'm on vacation, I'll try to put out as many chapters as I can. I hoped that you liked reading this chapter. Keep the reviews coming! I really enjoy reading them. 

****

Disclaimer- If you are looking for someone with a lot of money then keep on looking cuz I have none. I mean come on I don't even own a cell phone or car. I'm a poor little high school student who is just glad that her finals are over with. It's all J.K. Rowling. She created the whole thing. I'm just giving my own version of her story.


	5. Chapter Five: Meeting with the Ministry

****

A/N: I know that the new Harry Potter book is coming out soon, but this story is in not association to The Order of the Phoenix. I might mention the order in the future but this is my version of what would happen if I were J.K. Rowling. But I'm not, although I sometimes wish I were her but I'm not, so there. O.k. now that that's taken care of…on with the story!

The Secrets of the Past

Chapter 5: Meeting with the Ministry

"Harry, are you up yet? Get down here right now!" called Aunt Petunia.

"I'm coming." groaned Harry as he got out of bed. He stayed up late the previous night hoping to get another letter from someone saying that he can go to the Weasley's for the summer. When Harry got downstairs, he found that he Uncle Vernon, cousin Dudley, and Aunt Petunia were all in the kitchen having breakfast. Dudley was still in his pajamas that had little teddy bears on them, and that didn't fully cover his enormous gut. Uncle Vernon was in his suit for work, reading his morning paper and complaining about how he didn't want to go in on a Saturday.

"Well, it's about time you got up. There are a ton of chores for you to do today." said Aunt Petunia as she gave Dudley another bowl of cereal. "Oh Diddy sweetie, don't eat your food so fast now. I don't want you to get an upset tummy."

Harry laughed to himself thinking that in all the years he has lived there, never has Dudley ever listened to his mom when it came to food. Uncle Vernon had noticed Harry smirking as he sat down at the table and buttered a piece of toast.

"What are you smiling about boy?" asked Uncle Vernon.

"Huh?…Oh, nothing sir." said Harry. As they all continued to eat their breakfast and hear Uncle Vernon read off random stories from the paper, the postman dropped the mail through the little slot in the door. Harry heard the little slot open and close, so he got up and retrieved the mail. He handed the pile of letters to Uncle Vernon without looking through them, since he never really received mail. (Well, the muggle way anyway.) He sat back down and started to finish his breakfast thinking about things, such as Sirius, the Burrow, the Weasley's, Hermione, Quidditch, and…Cho. As he was daydreaming about what it would be like to be on his Firebolt flying through the air with Cho at his side, he was interrupted by Uncle Vernon's yelling.

"What the bloody hell is this?" asked Uncle Vernon as he read the letter in his hands. Harry noticed that the envelop in had came in had the Hogwarts seal on it, but the letter itself was addressed to Uncle Vernon. _"Uh oh." _thought Harry as his uncle read the letter out loud.

__

Dear Mr. Dursley,

I'm writing to inform you that due to some recent events that have occurred, that it would be in your nephew Harry's best interest, and you family's to allow him to spend the rest of his summer holiday with a wizard family. He will be staying with the Weasley family until it is time for him to return to school. Mr. Weasley, and several other people will come on Monday at around eleven thirty in the evening to pick him up by car. This will hopefully be less of a convenience to you and your neighbors. I please ask that you do not tell anyone when or where Harry will be leaving, for his safety and your family's.

Sincerely yours,

Professor Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster

"What does he mean about "his safety and my family's"? Did you know about this boy?"

"I ah,…well…sort of. I got a letter the other night." said Harry, and then added quickly, "But I didn't think they were serious." 

Harry sat there looking at Uncle Vernon, hoping that he didn't see through his lie. Vernon just sat there looking at Harry debating on whether or not he should be upset over the fact that he got a letter from _those_ people, or to be thrilled that he didn't have to deal with his nephew for almost two whole months. Finally he decided to go with the second one.

"Well I guess they are serious, so I think you should go and start to pack up now." 

Harry was taken back by what his uncle said. He was so happy with what his uncle had just said, he actually thought about hugging his uncle, but fought the urge to do so. Harry just simply nodded and told his uncle, "Yes, sir." Look of shock on Dudley's face with what his father had just said was priceless to Harry. He wanted to remember that look forever.

"Well, I guess I should be off now. Petunia, dear, I'll see you later." said Uncle Vernon as he got up from the table.

"Oh, good-bye dear. Have a good day." said Petunia as she gave Vernon a kiss good-bye. Vernon then gave Dudley a pat on the head and a look to Harry before he left the house for work. When Harry heard his uncle's car drive away, he got up from the table and headed up the stairs to pack.

"When your finished packing, I want you to go out and mow the lawn." called Petunia as Harry made his way up to his room. He could hardly contain his happiness. When he got into his room, he saw that Hedwig had returned from her nightly flight with a letter from Ron.

__

Dear Harry,

I hope this gets to you first, but if it doesn't that's fine. My dad just told me that you'd be coming here on Monday. He said that I could come along to keep you company on the long trip home. (I still don't understand why we have to travel by car.) Mom's getting everything ready for your arrival. She's been worrying a lot more lately. You'll be staying in my room again, since Fred and George are constantly locked in their room, doing god only knows what. 

See you soon, and Hang in there just a little bit longer!

-Ron

After reading Ron's letter, Harry sat down at his desk and wrote back to Ron.

__

Dear Ron,

Sorry to tell you, but your letter did come late. My uncle got the letter from Dumbledore in this morning's mail. You should have seen the look on their faces when he read the letter out loud, it was priceless! I couldn't believe that Dumbledore sent him a letter the muggle way. 

I can't wait to get out of here either. Almost two months without hearing my aunt and uncle yelling or Dudley's whining is a dream come true. I'll hang on as long as I have to.

See you soon!

-Harry

P.S. I'm sending Hedwig to you so that she doesn't get hurt in the process of traveling.

"Here you go Hedwig. Now I want you to stay at Ron's so you don't get hurt." said Harry as he tied the letter to Hedwig's foot. She nipped at his hand affectionately and then flew off to the Burrow. As Harry watched his owl fly out of sight, he smiled to himself thinking that is going to be a very interesting year.

*********************

__

(At the same time this went on…)

"Welcome to Liverpool, miss. I hope you enjoyed your flight." said the flight attendant at the gate.

"Yes I did, thanks!" said Miranda as she walked into the Liverpool John Lennon Airport. She looked around and saw a bunch of tourist walking around wearing Beatle T-shirts and hats. She laughed to herself as she thought how ridiculous some of these people looked covered head to toe in The Beatles merchandise. 

After acquiring a car that she had borrowed from a trusted friend from her days as an aurora, Miranda drove away from the airport and through the city of Liverpool toward the countryside. As she drove near one of the biggest tourist attractions in Liverpool, the home of John Lennon, she could see the hoards of Beatle fans going in and out of the immortalized museum. She still couldn't believe that after all these years, people were still obsessed over the popular quartet. Seeing all these people young and old from all over the world seemed so unreal to her. As she waited for a light, she over heard this one American man talking to his wife about how great it was to see his idol's home, and that he couldn't wait to tell his students back home all about his trip. In Miranda's mind, she felt sorry for those students that had him as a teacher.

After nearly half and hour of trying to get through the busy streets of Liverpool, she finally made her way to the English countryside. While she was driving through the country roads with the top of the car down, she started to feel a little bit guilty about what she did yesterday to all her friends in Paris.

Right after Miranda booked her flight back to England, she went into BLACK CAT ADVERTISING and performed a memory charm on everyone that she worked with. She told them all that she was going back to England to join another company. But whenever someone wanted to contact her, the moment they began to dial her cell phone number, they would suddenly forget whom they were calling or what the number was. It broke Miranda's heart when she put the final memory charm on her best friend Nicole, but she knew that it was better that none of them knew where she was in order to keep them all safe. However, right before she put the charm on Richard, she decided that it was time for a little pay back. She remembered going into Richard's brand new office and performing several little hexes on him. The look on his face when Miranda caused practically everything in his office to levitate was priceless to her. She even caused Richard himself to float several feet off the ground and hang upside down for several minutes. She hadn't had that much fun since her days at Hogwarts with all the Marauders playing pranks on their fellow classmates. Especially the ones played on one Severus Snape and one Lucius Malfoy. 

After driving for about an hour or so, Miranda finally reached her destination, a hill just outside of a remote town. She stopped the car by a huge oak tree, and began to unload her luggage. After she heaved her very heavy trunk out of the back of the car, she turned back to the car and pulled out her wand, making sure that no muggle was near by. She muttered a spell and the car that was under the tree had suddenly vanished from her sight and back to her friends driveway in Liverpool. _"Well that takes care of that!" _, she thought to herself. "Now where is that key?" As Miranda started to climb the hill, she called for her luggage to follow her up the hill. When she and her things had finally reached the top of the hill, lowered her trunk down to the ground until it made a soft thud on the deep green grass. 

"Ouch! Hey watch it out there!" called a muffled voice from within the trunk.

"Sorry Christine."

_"_Are we _there _yet?!" whined Christine from within the truck.

"Keep your shirt on! I'm trying to find the key." said Miranda as she looked around for the Portkey.

"Well hurry up, would ya! I'm starting to get tried of smelling your socks in here. God when was the last time you washed these things?" 

"Christine would please shut the hell up! You know I could have left you in France."

"No you couldn't. You need me, and besides who else is going to give you advice about fashion? Huh?" asked Christine in "a matter of fact" tone.

As Miranda started to open her mouth for a nice comeback for Christine, she noticed an old traveling mug that was lying in a patch of soft grass. "Ah there it is! I found it!" she called as she went over and retrieved the dirty mug.

"About bloody time! Oh I can't wait to get home!" cried Christine happily through the trunk.

Miranda then placed her right hand on her pile of luggage and held the handle of the mug in her left. Suddenly, a familiar wave came over her. She felt herself being jerked forward and her felt her feet leave the ground. The wind rushed past her and then suddenly she found that her feet had hit a hard street. She looked around and found herself just outside of Ollivander's in Diagon Ally. 

A bunch of witches and wizards who were shopping around noticed that Miranda had just appeared courtesy of the Portkey. She felt a little out of place, since she was still in her muggle clothes, while everyone else around her were in their normal wizard robes. She charmed her luggage to float behind her as she made her way through the ally. Miranda said hellos to several witches and wizards as she made her way to the Leaky Cauldron. When she entered into the inn, some of the wizards who were enjoying their drinks, stopped and looked up at the blond haired witch who was wearing sunglasses. They were all surprised and shocked to see her there. Even Tom the innkeeper was taken back by Miranda's return. He was pouring a drink that was now spilling over on to the bar.

Miranda walked awkwardly through the crowd of people staring at her, to the door that lead to the busy muggle streets of London. When she got to the door, she undid the charm on her luggage, and began to heave the heavy trunk out on to the street. She dragged the trunk and the rest of her bags about a block and a half until she came to an old apartment building that had been inhabitant for years. She pulled out a set of keys and opened the front door of the building. When she got all of her things into the building foyer, she recharged her luggage to levitate and follow her up the flights of stairs.

It seemed like and eternity climbing the many flights of stairs. _"I don't ever remember it being this difficult to get to my place."_ thought Miranda. Finally after climbing nearly 17 flights of stairs, she finally reached the top floor of the building. "Ah, finally!" said a now exhausted Miranda. " I need to start doing some more Tao-Bo or something. I didn't realize I was that out of shape."

"Oh will you shut up! You're not that out of shape. Hell, if I just flew ex amount of miles, drove for hours, and then take a Portkey to London, I'd be tired to. Now could you please hurry up!" cried Christine from the trunk.

"Oh, alright! Just hang on a sec. God!" exclaimed Miranda.

She walked down the hallway that contained many lofts that haven't been used in years, with her luggage and Christine floating behind her. As she reached the end of the hall, she turned to her right and stood right in front of a painting. The painting was of a bright white unicorn, taking a drink from a lake at night, with a dark castle in the background.

"Marauder's midnight ride." said Miranda. Suddenly the unicorn looked up and ran away into the background, and the wall that held the painting swung open to reveal Miranda's home: the Locked Box.

"Ah, home sweet home." said Miranda as she walked in. The room was filled with sunlight that come from the three large windows in her living room. A chandelier with candles hung in the middle of the room. A big comfy couch and two loveseats covered in deep blue upholstery were arranged around a glass coffee table that was near the fireplace. Along the wall that the entrance was along had a long bookshelf that was built into the wall and stretched halfway around the room. Above the bookshelf was yet another one built into the wall with a balcony that stretched along with the bookcase. There were two openings in the second level bookcase. One lead to the study, while the other lead to the bedrooms and some other rooms.

As Miranda looked around her home that she hadn't seen in along time, she noticed her two cats were sleeping on one of the windowsills. One of them was a black cat that had a purple collar on. The other was a blond cat with soft, bushy fur and had on a light blue collar.

"Hello there Midnight, Amber! Did you miss me?" asked Miranda.

Amber lifted her blond head up and looked at her master with her pale blue eyes. Midnight opened her bright yellow eyes and let out a soft meow. Both cats then jumped down to the floor and walked over to Miranda and purred affectionately to her as they both rubbed their heads against her leg.

"I'll take that as a yes." she said as she bent down and picked up both of the cats.

"What you be doing with Miss's kitties?" asked a high stern voice from behind Miranda.

Miranda startled by the voice quickly turned around and found one of her three house elves standing right behind her looking up at her.

"Blinky! Oh, you scared me." said Miranda as allowed her cats to jump out of her arms and onto the floor.

"Miss?! Ms. Andy! Oh, Ms. Andy! Blinky is so happy to see you! Oh, please forgive Blinky. He didn't know that it was you who had returned." cried Blinky who was now on the verge of crying.

"It's alright Blinky. You didn't know. Besides I taught you to say that, in case someone who wasn't suppose to be here did come in." said Miranda as she bent down to meet Blinky face to face. "Come here." she said as she stretched out her arms.

"Oh, Blinky is so happy to see Ms. Andy home again." cried Blinky as he ran into Miranda's arms and hugged her.

"It's good to see you too. Where are Jewels and Ribbon?" asked Miranda as she broke from Blinky's embrace.

"Oh, they is cleaning the attic and the rest of the rooms in the building miss. They be back in a little bit." sniffled Blinky.

"Are they now." said Miranda in an amused tone. "Well alright then. Um… Blinky would you please have my things brought up to my room?"

"It would be Blinky's honor to do so miss. Does miss want Blinky to unpack her things?" 

"Not all of them. Just my mirror, please. I might be leaving to go to Hogwarts later on." stated Miranda.

"Very well then. Blinky will have Ms. Star's things up in her room in no time."

"Thank you very much. Um…Blinky one more thing. Are my robes still in the closet?"

"Washed, dried, and ready for miss to wear them." said Blinky.

"Good, and thank you again. I'll be up in a bit."

"Ms. Star doesn't need to thank Blinky. It's an honor and a duty to serve Ms. Andy Star." said Blinky as he took a deep bow and used his elf magic to take up Miranda's things.

As Miranda walked up to one of the windows, she looked down at the busy streets of London, and could see part of Diagon Ally from her view. As she looked up at the bright Saturday afternoon sky, she noticed a cloud with what looked like a large building floating on top of it hidden in the clouds.

"The Ministry of Magic, now that's a sight I never thought I'd see again. Wait a sec." said Miranda as she suddenly looked down at her watch which now read 1:08 p.m. "Ah, crap I'm late!" yelled Miranda as she quickly ran up a spiral staircase to her room to change into her wizard robes.

***************

__

At the Ministry of Magic…

"I don't care what the Ministry in Greece says! There is now way that the Dark Lord is back in power." said Fudge.

"Cornelius, they say that they have enough evidence to prove that he is back!" said on of the ministers.

"Impossible." said Fudge from his high desk in the Ministry's conference room.

"But Cornelius what about what happened at Hogwarts? Harry Potter himself said that he saw him come back before his very eyes, and tried to kill him again!" said a female minister.

As all the wizards in the great conference room argued about the whether or not the Dark Lord Voldemort had indeed return, Arthur Weasley looked at his watch, and then turned to Dumbledore who was seated next to him. "Where is she?" he whispered.

"Don't worry Arthur, she'll be here. Just have a bit more patience." said Dumbledore.

"Well if she doesn't get here soon, they're likely to continue this for ages! This is getting us nowhere." said Arthur in a disgruntled tone.

"Patience, Arthur. Patience." said Dumbledore with a smile.

"I'm sorry but I'm still not convinced that You-Know-Who has returned!" said Fudge.

"But what about…"

"I don't care want to hear about what the other ministries are doing. They can go and get all worried about You-Know-Who, but I'm still not convinced." said Fudge. "I'm tired of hearing about it! If I have to hear one more word about this matter I'll…" said Fudge but was interrupted by voices from outside in the hall way.

"I'm sorry but you can't go in there! Miss? Miss!" said a female voice from out side of the large double doors in the back of the great conference hall.

"What in Merlin's beard is going on out there?" asked Fudge with a worried look upon his face.

Suddenly a bright light blasted the doors apart and shot directly at Fudge's head causing him to duck underneath his desk to avoid being hit. Through the smoke at the back of the hall, came Miranda in dark purple robes holding her wand and wearing her sunglasses.

Many of the wizards in the hall chimed out with "What the devil?" and "Have you lost your mind?" until they all saw who was the one that blasted the doors apart and gasped in shock.

"Er…sorry about that!" said Miranda coolly and turned around and muttered a spell that fixed the doors she blasted. When she finished she turned back toward the front of the hall and walked up to Fudge's desk. 

"Ah perfect timing." said Dumbledore as he got up and joined Miranda up at Fudge's desk. "Everyone I'd like to introduce and welcome back, Ms. Miranda Starmenter who has come here today to discuss the matter that is at hand." said Dumbledore, who voice echoed throughout the hall.

As Dumbledore spoke, Miranda started to feel as if something wasn't right, as she looked around the hall of wizards. She felt as if something awful would soon happen, to someone she cared about. Something that would be caused by someone in that very room.

"Now wait a minute, Albus." said Fudge who was now fixing what little hair he had left on his head as he settled himself back into his seat. "I know you said that you were bringing a guest that would supposedly convince me that You-Know-Who is back, but you never said anything about it being _her_." 

"Oh what's the matter Cornelius? I thought that you'd be pleased to see me. Although I must say that was surprised when I heard that you were the Minister of Magic. Such an honor." said Miranda as she took off her sunglasses.

"I've told Ms. Starmenter of what has happened the past couple of years, and she has agreed to come back and help stop Voldemort before it's too late." said Dumbledore.

"Now look Albus, I mean no disrespect toward you but, there is no need for Ms. Starmenter to be here. Especially after what happened the last time she was here in England. Now if You-Know-Who has returned, then I myself will organize an army to bring him down and capture him." said Fudge.

"Capture him? _Capture him?! _You think that a pathetic wizard such as yourself is capable of bringing down one of the darkest wizards the wizardry world has ever seen? I mean _come on_! You couldn't even re-capture Sirius Black when he escaped from Azkaban!" said Miranda. Her statement caused several of the wizards to go into shock. Fudge's eyebrows rose quickly as his eyes started to bulge out over what Miranda had just said.

"How did you know about…"

"Like Professor Dumbledore said, he told me _everything_ that has happened the past couple of years." said Miranda coolly.

"Well then," said Fudge softly "you certainly have done your research, Ms. Starmenter. Now let me tell you something that Dumbledore has probably neglected to tell you, there is no, _no_ evidence whatsoever to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that You-Know-Who is back to his full power. And until there is some evidence that proves that he has returned, the ministry will not discuss this matter anymore."

"Mmmh huh, that a very good speech Cornelius. Are you finished?" asked Miranda as she looked at Fudge who nodded. "Good, now let me tell you something. The last time I checked it was the minister of magic's job to protect the wizard world from dark forces, and that includes all underage wizards too. Right? So tell me then why, my godson Harry was taken away by Voldemort and tortured by him, and why Voldemort himself killed another student? It was your job to make sure that none of them got hurt. But instead we now have one innocent boy dead. How many more innocent lives need to be taken away until you are convinced that Voldemort is back? Huh? What 2? 3? 1,000 maybe?" 

"Now listen here Miranda…" said Fudge.

"No, you listen! All of you! Whether we like it or not, Voldemort is back! And he'll pick up right where he left off, unless we do something to stop him right now. Otherwise, our world and the muggle world as well, will cease to exist." said Miranda in a forceful tone.

"Well, wait we don't know for sure what You-Know-Who will do if he is back." said one of wizards.

"You want to know what Voldemort will? I'll tell you what he'll do, no wait, better yet let me show you." said Miranda as she pulled out her wand and began to draw figures in the air that projected in the air of all to see. When she was finished, pictures of buildings burning filled the room. People, both wizard and muggle, lay dead in the streets. Women and children screaming as they are subjected to the Cruciatus Curse. Entire villages ransacked by Voldemort's Death Eaters, and Dementors running amuck throughout the world. "Destruction, chaos, endless suffering and pain, fear, and death. This is what our world will look like if Voldemort isn't destroyed! His reign of terror will take over our very lives and our children's. He will stop at nothing until he has conquered the world! And the first places he will hit are all the wizard schools throughout Europe. We must end this now before it's too late!!" said Miranda as she pleaded with the members to believe her.

The sights and sounds coming from Miranda's pictures were so graphic and detailed that many of the wizards couldn't stand looking at them any more, neither could Fudge. He pulled out his wand and dismissed Miranda's pictures. "That's enough Ms. Starmenter. You have said your piece, but I'm still not convinced. No one is for sure what he'll do, if he even has returned. I'm sorry but there is nothing that I can do." said Fudge.

"Well then, if you won't stop him. Then I will." said Miranda and then stormed out of the hall. Miranda was so frustrated and angry at what had just happened in the hall, that she wanted to go back in there and make them believe her. When she turned around, she saw that both Dumbledore and Arthur Weasley were standing behind her.

"I'm sorry about that Miranda. As you can see, this is what we have been dealing with ever since it happened. He simply won't listen." said Dumbledore.

"Yeah, I kinda realized that." said Miranda sarcastically. "Look, I'm sorry Albus. I didn't mean to bite your head off."

"It's alright. It's perfectly understandable." said Dumbledore.

"Fudge is definitely one stubborn wizard. If only he'd listen to reason." said Arthur Weasley.

"I'm afraid that's quite impossible now. It looks like it's just us, that is if you will still willing to help?" asked Dumbledore as he looked at Miranda with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh come on Dumbledore, you know I'd never miss a chance to help bring down that monster once and for all. Of course I'm willing." said Miranda with a smirk on her face.

"Very well then. Well I guess I should be on my way back to Hogwarts. Miranda I'll expect to see you there soon so that you can get yourself settled in, and Arthur will be preparing for Harry's move."

"Um…Albus, when exactly is Harry being moved?" asked Miranda.

"Monday night at about eleven thirty." said Dumbledore

"O.k. then, and who is going to pick him up?"

"Well, myself, my son Ron, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and another member of the ministry." said Arthur. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I just got a weird feeling in there. Like someone was planning on doing something." said Miranda.

"Do you think it was one of You-Know-Who's spies?" asked Arthur.

"I don't know, but take a couple of more members from the ministry along with you just in case." said Miranda as she started to walk away.

"Alright then. Um…do you mind if I ask where are you going?" asked Arthur.

"Oh, I'm just going to go and prepare for trip to Hogwarts. I'll see you both later. Bye!" said Miranda as she walked away from Dumbledore and Arthur Weasley.

Dumbledore looked at her with a questionable look and had a pretty good idea as to what Miranda was planning on doing.

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A/N: I'm sorry that it took so long for this chapter to get out. I've been having a bad case of writers block, but I think I'm past it now. (hopefully) Plus, I've been having trouble uploading for some reason too. But anyway…I hope you all liked this chapter. I know that nothing really exciting happens, but trust me it will get better soon. O.k. and what exactly is Miranda planning and when is she finally going to see Harry? Find out soon. 

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Disclaimer: I own nothing! It's all Joe Rowling. She did it, not me. 

Yea! The new Harry Potter Book is out! Like I said before, I'm probably going to continue on with my own version of Harry and the gang's fifth year at Hogwarts, unless I get the new book soon and I find out that what J.K. did affects my version.


	6. Chapter Six: The Return of the Order of...

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The Secrets of the Past

Chapter Six: The Return of the Order of the Phoenix 

Harry couldn't wait until Monday night. For the rest of the weekend, he tried to keep his mind busy, but couldn't help but think about how he was leaving Privet Drive for almost two whole months. He even asked Aunt Petunia for more chores because he knew that if he stood still, he would go insane. Finally when Monday morning came, Harry was so relieved and excited he thought he was going to burst. He already had his trunk all packed up with his clothes, schoolbooks, and his trusty Firebolt. 

That morning Harry got up with the sun since he really couldn't sleep the previous night. His mind was filled with visions of how he would spend his summer holiday at the Burrow. He was even looking forward to being Fred and George's guienpig with their new gags that they invented. (Sort of.) He couldn't wait to get out of the nightmare that he has been forced to live in for the past fourteen years of his existence. Since everyone else in the house was still asleep, Harry decided to stay in his room. He enjoyed the silence in the morning before Dudley started listening to his music or his whinnying about how he broke one of his many things. Since all his school things were already packed away in his trunk, Harry decided to look at one of his Quidditch books that he forgot to pack away. He couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts and get on the field, and practice his dives and mid-air rolls. He wondered who their new captain was going to be, or who the new keeper would be since Oliver Wood was no longer at Hogwarts. Harry wondered what it would be like to captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, but quickly dismissed the idea since he felt he had enough publicity already.

After almost being up of an hour or so, Harry heard that his aunt and uncle get up and head downstairs for breakfast. Harry decided he would wait just a few more minutes before he made his morning appearance. He also didn't want to be the first thing Dudley saw in the morning; for fear that he might use him as a punching bag again. When he heard Dudley's loud heavy feet climb down the staircase, Harry got up from his bed, quickly got dressed in some jeans and one of his favorite shirts that was starting to wear thin. He then headed down for breakfast with a smile, since it was his last at the Dursley's home.

"Why are you all happy?" asked Dudley when Harry entered into the kitchen.

"Oh, no reason. Just woke up that way, that's all." said Harry as he sat down at the table not trying to sound to pleased that he was leaving later on today.

"Aren't you suppose to be leaving tonight?" asked Uncle Vernon as he took a sip from his coffee cup.

"Is that today? I guess so," said Harry in a sort of shocked expression.

"Well I just hope that _those_ people show up on time unlike the last time." said Aunt Petunia as she placed a plate of pancakes and bacon on the table. The moment Dudley saw the food, he quickly grabbed a stack and a handful of bacon and began to inhale it. "They aren't coming the same way they did last year are they?" 

"No, the letter said that they would be coming by car," said Vernon. Deep down both Vernon and Petunia were glad that they didn't have to deal with their abnormal nephew for the rest of the summer. They still regret the day they took him in. After all these years Petunia still blamed her sister Lily for getting herself killed and for making her raise her son.

For the remainder of breakfast, Vernon talked about where they should go for their annual summer trip, and about how his company is coming out with a new drill bit design. Harry on the other hand ignored his uncle's yammering and couldn't stop thinking about how he wouldn't miss this, sitting at the table with the Dursleys while they talk about things that seemed so unimportant to him. _"If they only knew what was really going on outside their own pathetic little world."_ Harry thought as he finished up eating his piece of bacon that he managed to grab before Dudley realized he left apiece behind.

That morning and afternoon, Aunt Petunia put Harry to work just like she did everyday. Today she had him clean out the attic and reorganize the all the boxes up there. As Harry crawled around the dusty old attic, he didn't seem to mind that it was hotter than an oven up there. "Probably because I'm so use to Professor Trelawney's classroom." he said to himself. He also didn't being up there since Dudley was playing d his music that sounds like a cat dying. As Harry moved the heavy boxes full of Dudley's old toys that he had when he was a baby, he tried to avoid hitting his head against the beams as he walked slowly from one side of the attic to the other. Harry was now a little bit taller than he was when he left Hogwarts a couple of weeks ago. He finally managed to out grow some of Dudley's old clothes lengthwise. He was a little bit more built up, but was still skinnier than most of the guy in his year. When he finally reorganized all the boxes, he sat down and tried to regain some of his strength. As Harry looked around at the job he had completed, he noticed that he missed a box in the far corner of the attic. "Aw man, not another one of Dudley's old baby things. Probably more old broken toys." said Harry as he got up and went over to the box. There was no writing on the box to indicate what was in it, or to whom it belonged to. It must have been up there for years since it was almost completely covered in dust. A voice from inside Harry's head told him to look inside it. After debating what seemed like a couple of minutes Harry's curiosity got the better of him and he found himself brushing off some of the dust and opening the box. What he found inside completely took him by surprise.

Inside the box, Harry found a bunch of his mom's old things from when she was a child. There were some pictures of Lily and Petunia together when they were small children, and a couple of family pictures. As Harry got toward the bottom of the box, he found some pictures of his mom and dad together when they were both at Hogwarts. He was a little shocked to find that the pictures were muggle pictures. The only types of photos that he ever saw of his parents were wizard ones. He found a couple of his mom's journals from her first couple of years at Hogwarts. Feeling a little guilty about thinking about reading them, Harry heard that same voice again. "Go ahead, Harry. It's o.k." He looked around to see where the voice was coming from but there was no one up there with him. He could hear Dudley's music blaring from his room, and knew that Aunt Petunia had gone out to run some errands. Harry then sat down next to the box, and began to read his mom's journal.

"_This journal is the property of one Lily Evans. If found please return it to me as soon as possible. Also if anyone is caught reading it, I shall place a curse on him or her that turns their hair purple and makes them hiccup unconditionally. (Petunia this means you.)"_

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September 1

Wow! I still can't believe that I'm a witch. The train ride here to Hogwarts was amazing. I couldn't believe that there were so many children who are wizards. I was so nervous when I first woke up this morning, I thought I wouldn't make any friends once I got here. When mom and dad took me to the train station, we couldn't find Platform 9 ¾. I thought for sure that I'd miss the train, until I saw these two boys lean up against the barrier between platform 9 and 10 and then disappear. I told my parents what I'd witnessed and seemed a little skeptical, but decided to give it a try.

Once I past the barrier, I couldn't believe the sight I saw, a bright shiny locomotive full of wizards and witches. After I got my things on the train, saying good-bye to mom and dad was so hard. I could tell that mom was trying hard not to cry and so was dad. I was glad that Petunia decided to stay home. I don't know if I could stand another minute of her complaining and calling me a freak. I still don't understand her. A few weeks ago we were the best of friends, and now…it's like she's a completely different person

As the train sped away toward Hogwarts, I had the urge to go exploring. Seeing everyone playing all these interesting wizard games seemed pretty neat. As I wondered around a little more, I ran into a really skinny boy that had really greasy black hair and a personality somewhat like Petunia's. He was a little scary dressed all in black, and his friend was just as bad. He was older than the greasy haired one who I later found out was called Severus. This guy had bright blond hair and an attitude of a total snob. I could tell that the blond one was looking for a fight. I got out there as quickly as I could, but then I ran into a group of fifth years that caused me to fall into one of the other compartment. I think I scared one of the guys in the compartment half to death. There were four boys in the compartment all looking down at me as if I was on something. One of them offered to help me up after a couple of minutes, his name was James Potter. He was pretty cute even though his black hair looked really untidy. He introduced me to the others: Sirius Black (very good looking, but some what of a show-off), Remus Lupin who looked rather pale, and Peter Pettigrew (the one I scared). I felt like a complete idiot just falling in like that, but they all seemed really nice. But there's just something about James that I can't quite put my finger on. After I left the compartment, I met up with a girl named Kelly Rocker, and her friends Felicia Figg, and Karen Crane. We talked about each other's families all the way to Hogwarts. Kelly is a muggle-born, Karen is half and half, and Karen is a pureblood.

When we finally arrived at school, I couldn't believe my eyes! All the lights in the windows and the air around the castle seemed sort of spooky and enchanting. When it was time for us to be sorted into the houses, I was scared out of my mind when Professor McGonagall called my name. I can still hear the hat's voice inside my head, and all I could remember thinking was "please don't put me in Slytherin". I was so relieved when the Sorting Hat shouted out Gryffindor. 

The feast was incredible. Never have I seen such a sight when the food appeared just by the wave of Professor Dumbledore's hand! When I looked around the table, I noticed that Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter were also sorted into Gryffindor. Kelly and Felicia were sorted into Gryffindor too. Karen was sorted into Hufflepuff.

The dorms here are amazing as well. I'm so glad that I don't have to deal with Petunia's snoring. I know that this is definitely one experience that I will remember until the end of my days. I can't wait until classes start!

Harry sat there in the corner of the attic reading a few more of Lily's entries. She wrote mostly about how her and her friends were the victims of some of James, Sirius, and Remus's pranks. He continued to look through the old book for about another twenty minutes or so until his aunt called for him.

"Harry Potter are you still up there! You'd better come down and get cleaned up before your uncle gets home!" yelled Petunia from the bottom of the stairs.

"Coming Aunt Petunia!" he called back. Harry quickly stood up and grabbed most of his mom's things and put the box that was now half empty with all the others. He carried his mom's pictures and journals to his room and put them in his trunk. He kept wondering why the Dursleys never showed him any of his mother's things. He knew that they hated the fact that Lily was a witch, but they at least could have shown him some of the pictures from when she was a child. Harry decided not to ask why they hadn't shown him his mother's belongings, and went to take a quick shower before dinner.

When he got downstairs for dinner, Uncle Vernon was already home and seated at the table talking to Petunia about his day.

"Well I told him that…what are you looking at boy?" asked Vernon.

"Nothing sir." said Harry as he rolled his eyes and went over to the stove and stirred the pasta noodles that were in the boiling pot.

"When your done with that you can turn down the burner and take a seat." said Petunia.

Harry was a little surprised by his aunt's order. She never really told him to take a seat. She usually made him finish up her cooking and serve everyone. But he did what she requested and sat next to Vernon as he continued on with his story. After the pasta was done, Petunia called for Dudley and pretty soon everyone heard his heavy stomps down the stairs. Soon he entered into the kitchen and sat down ready to eat. When Aunt Petunia placed everyone's plate on the table, Dudley had a look of horror on his face.

"What in the bloody hell is this? Mom, I'm not on that stupid diet anymore. Why did you make this?" cried Dudley. Placed before everyone was a small piece of grilled chicken breast, some pasta that was lightly buttered with parmiagain, and a small portion of steamed green beans.

"I know that my Dudleypoo, but I thought that we didn't need to cut out the whole health plan completely. We'd just have at least one completely healthy meal at least once a week. That way, you can still be in shape when you go back to school in the fall." said Petunia as she sat down and started to eat her meal.

Uncle Vernon just sneered at his meal, but ate it anyway. He still didn't understand why he had to eat healthy when he was perfectly healthy at an even 298lbs. Sure he did get a little winded when he had to walk what seemed like a long distance to him, but he figured that happened to everyone his age. 

For most of the meal, everyone ate in silence. Every now and then, Harry would check his watch that he got fixed to see what time it was. "Another five hours or so and I don't have to deal with these people any more." thought Harry as he forced down his dinner that tasted like rubber. He made a mental note to himself that another thing he wouldn't miss was his aunt's cooking.

For the rest of the evening, the Dursleys and Harry sat in the family room watching Dudley's favorite television programs. Another thing Harry wouldn't miss once he was gone. Finally at about quarter to eleven, Vernon spoke up. "Well I guess you should go and get your stuff boy. Those people will be here soon. You did pack all your things now didn't you? I don't want you coming back saying you forgot something." 

"I packed all my things the other day." said Harry as he got up and went up the stairs to retrieve his heavy trunk. He made sure that he had everything for the second time today. He also made sure that he had his mum's things, his leather photo album, and his letters from Sirius, Ron, and one from Hermione that he got a couple of days after he got back from Hogwarts. He heaved his trunk down the stairs until he reached the bottom and then put it off to the side. He looked at the clock in the living room that now chimed 11:00 at night. As the Dursley's watched the nightly news, Harry sat himself near the window and waited for his ride to come and take him away from this God-awful place. He could already see himself now at the Weasley's home having the time of his life. He looked that clock again which now read 11:15. Harry started to build up his excitement. He looked out eagerly at the dark street for some sign of movement. He noticed that some light fog started to roll down the street. _"Oh, bloody hell! I hope that they aren't going to be late because of some lousy sinking fog." _thought Harry. As he looked up and down the street, he heard the clock chime 11:30. He quickly looked at the front door, and saw that no one had appeared. He looked up and down the street that still laid stone silent.

"Oh where are they?" he whispered. As the arrival time came and went, Harry started to think the worst. "Maybe they got lost? Maybe they got stuck in traffic? Maybe Voldemort found out about his move and Mr. Weasley was attacked? Or maybe they forgot about me?" These thoughts swam through Harry's head as he waited impatiently by the window. He started to scratch his head, which made his already messed up hair even more unmanageable. His stomach started to turn as he saw that the clock now read quarter to midnight. Harry looked over at his uncle who was now even getting a little annoyed over party's tardiness.

Thoughts started to form in Vernon's head. "Oh, no will have to deal with him for the summer after all. Oh, why can't these people ever be on time! Haven't these people ever heard of manners?" Worried looks came over Petunia's face as well as she saw that the clock now read 11:47. "They're not coming!" she thought. "Oh, please hurry up," thought Harry as he too looked at the clock. The tension in the room was almost at a breaking point until they all heard a knock at the door. 

Harry and Vernon both jumped up from their seats. Vernon made his way to the door while Harry looked out the front window and saw the shapes of several people at the Dursley's doorstep.

"Who is it?" called Vernon.

"Mr. Dursley's? It's Arthur Weasley." called Mr. Weasley from the other side of the door. Uncle Vernon then opened the door and let in most of the people who were at the door. Harry was glad to see Mr. Weasley and Ron both walk into the living room with their bright red hair.

"Hey Ron! Hello Mr. Weasley." said Harry

"Hello Harry. Sorry we're late, but we had a little bit of trouble trying to get a car, and making sure that we weren't being followed." said Mr. Weasley.

"Yeah, we had to park the cars a couple of streets over. How have you been, mate?" asked Ron.

"Pretty good. But I'll be a lot better once I get out here." said Harry in a whisper.

"Oh, hey did you see who else came along with us?" asked Ron as he motion to the people behind him. Harry couldn't see them from where he was standing, so he moved the right a bit and looked around the corner to find Remus Lupin standing near the door and another member of the ministry. Suddenly Harry heard a bark and looked down at his feet to see Sirius in his dog form.

"Hi Professor Lupin. Hey S…Snuffles. It's good to see you," said Harry as he leaned down and scratched the top of Sirius's head.

"Hello, Harry. Are you ready to go? Do you have your trunk all set or do you need someone to help you go up and get it?" asked Remus.

"No that's o.k. My stuff is right here." said Harry and walked over to where his trunk was and started to heave in toward the door.

"Hey let me help with that, Harry." said Ron as he went over and picked up the other side of the trunk. "Geez, are you taking everything but the kitchen sink with you?" 

"Ha Ha, very funny." said Harry sarcastically as he and Ron made their way to the door.

"Here let me take that," said Remus. Before Ron and Harry could protest, Remus took hold of the trunk and lifted it up by himself and carried it out the front door. Harry, Ron, and Vernon all look astounded at Remus's act.

"Must be that whole werewolf thing," whispered Harry to Ron. A couple of minutes later Remus returned to the house.

"Well I guess that's it then. Harry, say good-bye to your aunt and uncle," said Mr. Weasley.

"Bye!" said Harry quickly and made his way to the door before Mr. Weasley could protest like he did last year.

"Well, isn't someone eager to get going." said Remus as he grabbed Harry by the collar so that he wasn't completely out of the house.

"Sorry again about our tardiness. If you would like to know how Harry is you could always…" said Mr. Weasley

"No, no, that's o.k. We'll be very busy this summer with our trip and all" said Aunt Petunia who was eager to get all the "freaks" out of her house. Especially that big black dog, which she had the sinking feeling that he wasn't what he seemed to be.

"Oh…alright then. Well I guess that's it then. Good-night to you all." said Mr. Weasley, as he made a little bow to the Dursleys.

"Good-night…" said Uncle Vernon with a nervous smile. They moment everyone was out of the house, Vernon quickly closed the door and locked it. "and good riddance."

Outside the Dursley's house, Harry saw that there were two more members of the ministry there.

"Well come on then, it's getting last, and plus I promised Molly that I'd get you all home before it got too late." said Mr. Weasley.

One by one, each member of the small party traveled down Privet Drive. Two of the ministry workers were leading pack, followed by Mr. Weasley, Harry, Ron, Sirius, Remus, and the other member of the ministry. They traveled in silence, but the moment they left Privet Drive, Harry notice that Sirius had changed back into his normal human form.

"Ah, that's a little bit better. So, how are you doing Harry? You haven't been having any trouble since the last time I wrote you, have you?" asked Sirius.

"No, not really. Actually I haven't really had any of those dreams since I got your letter a couple of days ago." said Harry.

"Well, that's good. I'm really sorry that I couldn't be there for you," said Sirius in an apologetic tone. 

"It's okay. I understand. Besides, I wouldn't want you to get caught by the Dementors on my account." chuckled Harry.

Sirius raised his eyebrow and gave Harry a look that said "lets not start that again." _Merlin, he sounds just like James_, thought Sirius.

"So tell me again why does Dumbledore want me to stay with Ron's family?" asked Harry

"Well, it's just a precaution Harry. After all, what happen a couple of weeks ago…Dumbledore just wants to make sure that you are protected that all" said Remus.

"Oh. But I thought…" said Harry.

"Harry, we can talk about this later. Right now we need to get you out of here and at the Burrow," said Sirius in a tone that Harry knew not to challenge.

For the rest of their journey, everyone walked in silence except of Harry and Ron. Ron kept whispering to Harry about what had happen since they last saw each other. Harry was going to tell Ron about what he found in the attic, but decided that he'd wait until they got to Ron's. The fog now was starting to get pretty thick and heavy as they made their way down a side street.

"We're almost there. Just another street over and then we can get out of here," said Mr. Weasley. Harry kept looking around but couldn't see anything except for the people around him. For some reason he had the feeling that they were being watched. Sirius and Remus both felt it too, and subconsciously moved closer around Harry and Ron. When the party was about a block or so away from the two ministry cars, a bright flash shot through the sky and hit one of the ministry workers. Then another set of bright sparks flew across the sky hitting the ministry worker that was behind Remus and causing Mr. Weasley to loose his wand. Soon Harry and the others realized that they were surrounded by about ten Death Eaters in dark robes with their hoods up; all armed with wands. It was an ambush. 

Harry and Ron quickly pulled out their own wands, but they were both hit with Expelliarmus curse, causing their wands to fly out of their hands. Remus and Sirius were both fighting off several Death Eaters, while Mr. Weasley and one of the Ministry workers quickly ran to retrieve their own wands.

"Harry, Ron, get to the cars as fast as you can!" called Mr. Weasley as he began to duel with a Death Eater. 

Before Harry and Ron could even begin to run, they saw that Mr. Weasley had been hit with the Cruciatus Cruse, and began to twitch violently while screaming in pain.

"DAD!" yelled Ron, but before he could run toward his father, another Death Eater came up from behind him and grabbed him. Harry began to try and pry the Death Eater's left arm off Ron, when two more Death Eaters came up from behind him and each seizing one of his arms.

"Let me go! Get off!" cried Harry as he fought to break the Death Eaters grips. But one of his captures took his fist and punch Harry in the head, causing him to cease his struggle.

Harry looked around dazed and confused. His vision was slightly blurry and his head felt as if it was going to be split in two. When his vision started to come into focus again, he saw that chains tied all the three Ministry workers, Mr. Weasley, Ron, and Remus together. Two of the Death Eaters dragged a slightly stunned Sirius over to the group and magically tied him to the others. Harry noticed that he dropped his wand on the ground and one of the Death Eaters went over to it and stepped on it, breaking it into two pieces. As he continued to look around, he noticed that one of the Death Eaters standing guard around the group placed several wands into his robes, each belonging to one of the captures. Harry tried to get away, but he realized that his feet were magically cemented to the ground and his hands were tied behind his back. Harry tried to wiggle his hands free but the ropes were so tightly bound to him, that more struggled, the more the ropes tightened around his wrists. 

"Ah, Mr. Potter so good of you to join us, this evening." said one of the Death Eaters, behind a mask. Harry knew that voice, he heard it several times, especially on the night that he was sent to the graveyard. It was the voice of Lucius Malfoy. 

"What do you want? Let my friends go!" growled Harry as he continued to struggle to get the ropes loose. Harry started to feel his temper rise quickly to the surface of his skin. He could feel the heat beginning to rise in his checks as saw his traveling party struggle to get loose from the chains.

"Temper, temper, now Mr. Potter. We wouldn't want you to be this hostile to the Dark Lord, when we take you to him, now would we?" said Lucius in a mock tone.

"Let them go or I swear I'll…"

"Or you'll what? Kill us? Now that is highly unlikely since you don't even have the courage to do so. No, no, the famous Harry Potter wouldn't kill a couple of the Dark Lords servants. Besides you don't even have a wand to even try to," said Lucius as he twirled Harry's wand between his fingers. 

"I think that Mr. Potter should be taught a lesson in some manners, don't you agree?" he asked to the other Death Eaters who were standing around all of them. All of them made some remark of agreeing with the idea. "Very well then, _Crucio_!"

An excruciating pain swept over Harry. He felt as if a thousand white hot knives piercing every inch of his skin. Harry couldn't think of anything except the pain that coursed throughout his body. He screamed in anguish as all the Death Eaters around him began to laugh at his pain.

"HARRY! MALFOY, YOU SON OF A BITCH! LET HIM GO! THAT'S ENOUGH!" roared Sirius as he tried hastily to free his hands from the chains, along with the others that he was bound to. 

Lucius gave a small chuckle and released the curse on Harry. Harry slumped over and began to shake as he tried to gain some of strength to try and free himself. Lucius then turned, walked over to the group, and bent down near Sirius.

"My, my, those are some very fierce words coming from someone who is in no condition to even speak," said Lucius coolly. "I think that you too need to learn a lesson in manners, Black." With that said, Lucius placed the Cruciatus Cruse on Sirius, causing him too to scream in agonizing pain. 

"There that should do the trick," said Lucius as he lifted the cruse off Sirius, got up and returned to wear Harry was tied up. "Now, where was I? Oh, yes I remember now. The Dark Lord will be very pleased once he has gotten rid of you."

"Indeed I will," said a shrill voice. Lucius and several other Death Eaters turned to find another person wearing dark robes walking toward them. Harry and the others saw this figure too. A great sense of fear began to sweep over Harry, but as he saw the dark figure draw closer he felt that something was missing. His scar…wasn't hurting him at all.

"Who are you?" demanded Lucius with a sense of fear behind his words.

"Oh, come now Lucius. Don't tell me you don't even recognize your Lord even when he is in another form," said the shrill voice.

"Master? Master! Forgive me, I didn't know…I mean…" cried Lucius as he bent down and kissed the figures robes. The other Death Eaters scattered around Harry and the others also knelt down to the ground and paid homage to the person who was being possessed by Voldemort.

"That's quite enough of that now, Lucius. Get up. The sight of you is starting to make me ill," said the possessed person coldly. Lucius complied with the order and quickly stood up with his head hung low. "I can see that you aren't a complete failure after all. Well, well, well, what have we here," said the possessed person as he moved toward the chained up group. 

Harry tried desperately to free his hands to try and help his friends, and godfather. As he struggled, he looked up as saw that Sirius, Mr. Weasley, Ron, and the other members of the Ministry were all struggling to free themselves. Remus on the other hand, just sat still looking up at the closing figure with a puzzled look upon his face.

"Ah, I see that my servants have caught a few worthless members from the Ministry, a pathetic teenager, and…ah…now here is something…weren't you one of the Potter's friends? You're the werewolf one aren't you?" asked the figure in a pleasant tone. Remus continued to look at the figure but didn't say a word. He couldn't see the person's face, but he had a funny feeling…it was as if he knew this person…

"I asked you a question, now answer me," said the shrill voice in a harsh tone.

"Don't answer him, Moony! He's not worth your breath," sniped Sirius as he continued to fight free. The figure then took his eyes off of Remus and turned toward Sirius.

"How dare you raise your voice to the great Lord Voldemort! Who do you think you…ah…what have we here. Why if it isn't the best friend, none the less. Come to the rescue only to find that you're too late again?" 

"You son of a b…" 

"Ah, ah, ah I wouldn't say that if I were you." said the shrill voice in a mock tone as he pulled out his wand and pointed it straight at Sirius's heart. "I guess I should owe you a thank you for helping out my servant Wormtail, all those years ago. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have one of my loyal servants to care for me when I was…um…debilitated." chuckled the possessed person.

"I wouldn't help you if my life depended on it!" barked Sirius with such venom in his voice it scared Harry a bit.

"Oh, shut up _Blackie_! Don't worry I'll deal with _you_ later. But now, I have more pressing matters to deal with. Release the boy!" cried Voldemort's shrill voice.

"Um…master?" asked Lucius in a puzzled tone.

"Don't question my orders, now _DO IT_! Or do I have to teach you a lesson in obeying orders?" 

"Y…yes master." said Lucius and motioned for two of the Death Eaters to untie Harry and keep a hold on him.

Harry struggled to be from the ropes that bound him, but the moment they were off, he tried to make a break for it. But before he could even take a step, the two Death Eaters grabbed a hold of his arms and forced him to move closer to where the possessed person was standing. Harry quick glanced over at the group and saw that a few Death Eaters had their wands out pointing them directly at chained men waiting for them to try and break free. He saw the look of fear and determination on Ron and his dad's faces. Sirius looked fearful for Harry, while Remus continued to look at the figure that was now standing in the middle of the large circle where Lucius Malfoy was once standing. The look on Remus's face was now full of curiosity and a slightly fearful.

"Harry Potter, such an honor it is to see you again," said the shrill voice of Voldemort's. Harry broke his glance from the group and looked at the figure standing before him. Harry's heart began to pound heavily against his ribcage. He was completely surrounded by Death Eaters, was unarmed, and had no hope of being saved by his traveling party. For the first time since the surprised attack, Harry became fearful that this was his end; that there was no hope in being rescued. 

"Finally after all these years, I finally get to finish what I started almost fourteen years ago," said the shrill voice. Harry tried to see who exactly was under Voldemort's possession, but couldn't because of the dark hood, and the fog that was now starting to thin more. He wanted to know who the person was that would soon become his murderer. Suddenly a realization hit Harry…why would Voldemort possess someone, instead of coming and killing him in person.

"Let him go, I want to savor this moment with out you two swine in the picture," barked the possessed person. The cloaked figure stepped closer to Harry, as the two Death Eaters let go of his arms and stepped aside. Harry tried to will his feet to move, but they wouldn't comply. He was frozen with fear as the dark figure stood hovering over him. Harry closed his eyes as he felt the figure's breath fall down upon him. He was sort of surprised to find that it was warm and not chilling like it usually was when Voldemort stood close to him. But he was even more surprised with what the figure whispered to him. _"On the count of three I want you to duck." _ Harry opened his eyes and looked up at the figure with a puzzled look, as it backed away slowly, slightly nodding his head. 

"Now…Harry…It's time for you to say good-bye to this world. Oh, but don't worry, you'll soon be reunited with your parents and the rest of your entourage. I'll even be fair and count to three to give you time to prepare for the end. One…Two…………THREE!" cried the shrill voice. Harry immediately dropped to the ground as the figured cried three, but was shocked at what the figure called out after that. Instead of saying "_Avada Kedavra_", the figure cried out "_Expelliarmus_" twice. 

He lifted his head to see that the two Death Eaters standing behind him had lost their wands and were thrown backwards. The figure then whipped around just in time to send Lucius Malfoy hurling through the air with another curse. The figure then quickly when over to the unconscious Malfoy and pulled out Harry's wand from his robes. "Harry, here!" cried the shrill voice of Voldemort as the figure tossed Harry his wand, which he caught. Harry stood there surprised for a second. _"Is it my imagination or did Voldemort just help me?"_ thought Harry, but quickly dismissed the thought as he saw one of the Death Eaters come charging at him. "Impedimenta!" bellowed Harry and the Death Eater began to cry in pain.

Harry quickly spun around just to see the dark figure take on two more Death Eaters and hurled them several feet into the air with the flick of his wand. The cloaked figure ran toward the chained group and shouted "_Breakio_", and the chains that once held them all dissolved into thin air. Sirius quickly changed into his dog form and began to attack a nearby Death Eater. Mr. Weasley helped Ron up, while the other three members of the Ministry and Remus got up and tried to avoid getting hit by some stun cruses that were being shot off by several Death Eaters. The figure then went over toward one of the Death Eaters but was hit by a cures causing the figure to be thrown back a ways. Harry ran toward the Weasleys while shouting out cures as several Death Eaters came after him. When reached the Weasleys he noticed that the figure was starting to get up from the ground and saw that a shot of blue light came from the figures wand causing the nearby Death Eater to be thrown off his feet. The figure quickly got up and ran toward the unconscious person and pulled out the wands that belonged to Ron, Mr. Weasley, Remus, and the other three. But took Harry completely by surprised was the voice from under the cloaked figure's hood.

"Remus! Catch!" called a female voice as the figure tossed the wands to Remus. Remus caught the wands, and distributed them to their rightful owners. 

"Everyone get to the cars!" cried Mr. Weasley as rendered a Death Eater immobile.

Harry, Ron, and a member of the Ministry ran toward the nearby cars, but Harry stopped immediately at the sound of Sirius's barking. Harry quickly turned around to see Lucius Malfoy, who now had lost his mask, cast a spell that sent Sirius flying through the air and land with a loud thud.

"SIRIUS!!" cried Harry. He tried to run to Sirius's aid but was stopped by the mysterious cloaked figure.

"No Harry, you need to get out of here, NOW!" said the woman's voice from under the cloak.

"NO, I need to…"

"I'll help Sirius, now go, GO!" said the cloaked figure as she pushed him back and began to duel with Lucius again. Remus came up from behind Harry and began to pull away from the fighting. Harry struggled to break Remus's grip and finally managed to break free. He instantly ran to where Sirius laid unconscious on the ground now back in his human form. 

"Sirius! Sirius, please wake up!" cried Harry as he tried to shake Sirius awake. (_Please don't be dead._ thought Harry as he tried desperately to shake Sirius awake) To Harry relief, Sirius wasn't dead, but was seriously knock out cold. Harry heard Malfoy shout out the Cruciatus Cruse at the cloaked figure, and immediately the figure began to cry out in pain. Before Harry could shout out a curse, Remus came up from behind and beat Harry to the punch. Lucius was sent flying backward causing him to release the curse on the cloaked figure. Remus quickly ran to her aid.

"Are you o.k.? Come on…" said Remus as he helped the cloaked figure up. He could see that the person had a dark screen covering her face that was coming off. He could see a few strands of long blond hair coming out of the hood.

"No, Remus. You need to get Harry out of here, now." said the woman's voice in a demanding tone.

"But what about…"

"Don't worry about me, Moony! Just get Harry and the others away from here! I'll take care of the Death Eaters! Now go! GO!" shouted the woman's voice as she began to duel with an oncoming Death Eater. Remus complied with her demand and went over to where Harry and Sirius were.

"Come on Harry, we need to get you out of here."

"I'm not leaving without Sir…"

"I'll help Sirius. Now come on let's go." said Remus in a tone not to question with as he grabbed Sirius's arm and wrapped it round Remus own neck and lifted him up. 

Harry got up quickly and ran toward the Ministry cars while Remus dragged Sirius's stunned body behind him. Harry glanced over his shouldered when he heard Lucius cry out "YOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUU!" and saw that all the Death Eaters surrounded the cloaked figure, with her hood down. All Harry could see was the back of a woman with long blond hair in dark colored robes. Harry saw that the Death Eaters began to charge at her. Harry wanted to go back and help the woman but Remus continued to push him forward. 

"Come on! Hurry up Harry!" cried Ron as he stood out side the car jumping up and down with his dad, and one of the Ministers. Harry, Remus, and a stunned Sirius ran quickly toward the cars. Remus shoved Sirius into the back seat of the car, while Harry turned back to see a pile of Death Eaters lying on top of one another. A wave of fear and panic began to come over Harry but was instantly dismissed when he saw that the figure had apperated away from the pile of Death Eaters. She had her hood up again and it seemed to him that she was looking right at him. Suddenly, Harry's scar began to burn fiercely, causing him to topple over.

"Harry?! Harry!? What is?" asked Mr. Wesley fearfully. 

"He's…He's…angry! R…really….r-really angry!" strained Harry.

From a distance, the woman under the cloak could see everyone getting into the car. She suddenly became very worried as she saw and heard Harry cry in pain, clutching his forehead. She realized that someone was watching them and her, causing a mixture of fear and anger to rise up in her. _Where is he! He must be close!_ she thought as she began to look around franticly for the only person that could cause Harry to cry in pain like that. She could feel that he was close by. The woman, turned back to where the others were and saw that they had all gotten into the car and were beginning to drive away. As she saw them go, a thought came to mind. She took her wand and pointed it to the night sky causing bright purple sparks to shoot out from the end.

From about a half a mile away, Voldemort and Wormtail stood on a small hill over looking what was going on. He saw the bright purple sparks shoot into the sky to form a massive phoenix into the sky that quickly turned a bright red and soared throughout the sky.

"So, The Order of the Phoenix has returned." said Voldemort in a low shrill voice.

"But…But master, who set it off?" asked Wormtail in a squeaky voice.

"It's her…she's returned. Ms. Starmenter has finally come home." said Voldemort as an evil grin came over his face.

(At the Locked-Box)

The cloaked figure suddenly appeared in the living room where a roaring fire was going in the fireplace. Miranda, quickly pulled off her hood, panting, and looked around at her three house elves and saw that Christine was in the mirror over the mantel.

"What did you do _now!_" said Christine in a stern tone with her eyebrow raised and her arms crossed.

_________________________________________________________________________________

A/N- Sorry it took so long to put this chapter out. I had most of it written out a while ago, but then I got the Order of the Phoenix and I lost the urge to continue writing it. I couldn't believe what happen!! I was so upset when I found out who died. I still can't believe she did that! And I really liked that character too! Well anyway…after I mourned a bit over what I read, I came to the idea that I can now truly enjoy. THIS IS MY STORY! Which means that I don't have to off that particular character. (Yeah!!!!!!) So…..I'm going to continue on with _my_ story although I might make some reference to what happened in the Order of the Phoenix. Thank you to all who reviewed! Keep them coming I enjoy reading them. They are a good source of motivation for me.

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Disclaimer- I am not Jo Rowling, nor did I create Harry Potter and the rest of the characters. If I were J.K., I would not have killed off that particular character in the fifth book. (I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE SHE DID THAT!) Anyway…I only own this story's plot and new characters. Everything else belongs to her, unfortunately.


	7. Chapter Seven: A Friend

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Secrets of the Past

Chapter Seven: A Friend

"He's…He's…angry! R…really….r-really angry!" strained Harry as he grabbed a hold of the scar on his forehead. The pain was so excruciating, he thought his head was going to explode because of it. 

"Come on, Harry. Let's get you out of here," said Mr. Weasley in a worried tone. He and Ron helped Harry to his feet and placed him in the backseat of the car. Harry could barely open up his eyes, but he could see a blurred version of the figure turning around. When Harry got in the car, he was placed next to a still stunned Sirius, and Ron on the other side. Mr. Weasley ran around to the other side of the car and got in the front. 

"Let's go!" he said to the one Minister who was behind the wheel. Mr. Weasley looked back to where the Death Eater were piled upon one another, and could see the cloaked figure begin to set off sparks. Harry's scar continued to burn a little, but the pain saw starting to subside. 

"Harry, look!" said Ron as he looked out the back window. Harry spun around to see purple sparks fly in the air to form a phoenix, which later glowed a bright red and began to soar throughout the night sky. Suddenly Harry felt his stomach leap, but at the same time a scene of fear crept up, followed by and unmistakable feeling of hatred toward the vision and to something else.

Before Harry could even make out what all these feelings meant, he felt himself being pushed back into his seat at an angle. When Harry and Ron turned themselves toward the front of the car, they realized that they were now flying through the night sky. The last time Harry and Ron remembered being in a flying car, they nearly got themselves killed. When Harry looked back toward the ground, he could see the phoenix start to die out, but he couldn't see the figure any more.

"What the bloody hell was that?" asked Ron who was now trying to catch his breath. "Who was that person, in the cloak?"

"Not now Ron. I'll explain when we get home," said Mr. Weasley who was now a bright shade of red as he tried to calm himself down.

"But how did they know we were going to be there?" asked Harry. "How did that person…woman…know where we were?"

"I told you I'll tell you both when we get back to the Burrow," stated Mr. Weasley in a tone that both boys knew not to question. Harry and Ron looked at each other with slightly worried faces. Out the passenger window, both of them could see the other Ministry car flying next to them carrying Lupin, and the other two ministers.

"Harry, you alright'," asked Ron in a whisper.

"Yeah, I think so. My scar doesn't hurt that much anymore," whispered Harry as he rubbed his prickling scar.

"Do you have any idea who that person was?"

"Not a clue. But I think Lupin does. I heard that woman call him 'Moony'."

"Really? What do think that means? I mean isn't that the name that Sirius calls him?"

"Yeah, it's his nickname from when he was a Hogwarts with my dad and Sirius."

"Weird. But did you see the way she came out of nowhere and took on all those Death Eaters?"

"Yeah, but what about the way she disguised her voice? Who is she?"

"I don't know mate, but she seemed to know you."

"Who doesn't!" said Harry, but had a feeling that Ron was right. The more he thought about how the woman in the cloak spoke to him, he began to think that she did know him, and not just as the boy-who-lived. _But how? How can that be possible?_ thought Harry but was interrupted when he felt Sirius stir next to him.

"Urgh…w-what….w-what happened," said Sirius groggily.

"Sirius are you o.k.?" asked Harry who was relieved to see his godfather awake.

"I think so, but…urgh…my head…it feels like its been stomped on by a hundred hippogriffs," groaned Sirius. "Where are we?" he asked as he saw that they were now flying over a small village out the window.

"Will be back at the Burrow in a few minutes. I think Molly has a potion for that headache. Oh, is she going to be in a fit when we get there." shuttered Mr. Weasley.

"Harry are you…mmph…o.k." inquired Sirius as he continued to rub his head and blink rapidly.

"Yeah, I'm alright' now. Uh…Sirius…you don't by any chance know who that person was in the cloak?"

"Person? What are you talking about? What…the figure," said Sirius as he began to remember the attack. "No, I don't think so. W-why do you ask?"

"Well…I heard her call Lupin 'Moony' when he broke the Cruciatus curse that Lucius Malfoy put on her." 

"Well I don't know…wait did you say the figure was a 'her'?"

"Yeah," remarked Harry. He stared at his godfather and could almost see what he was thinking about. He was remembering when the figure took on the one Death Eater and was hit with the spell that unmasked her voice. All of a sudden, Harry saw his eyes become wide and fearful; he for sure now that Sirius did know or had a pretty good idea as to who their savior was.

"Sirius, who…"

"Harry, I um…I don't think I do. And stop asking me so many questions right now, would ya," said Sirius as he trailed off back into his thoughts. _It couldn't be. She couldn't have been the one under the cloak. She couldn't have been that fool hearted to take on all those Death Eaters by herself. No it couldn't be her. She wouldn't act that stupidly. But that voice…No it couldn't be her. Could it?_

Harry and Ron looked upon Sirius with skeptical eyes. They definitely knew now that there was more to this than what they were leading on too. After about a half hour of silence in the car, they finally reached their destination. Harry could see that almost all the lights in the Burrow were now on and that a stout, plump woman with red hair was standing on the porch waiting for them: Mrs. Weasley.

As Ron and Harry got out of the car, they could see Mrs. Weasley running toward them with her face all flustered.

"Oh, Ron! Harry! Thank goodness your both alright! **_ARTHUR WHAT WERE YOU THINKING! _**TAKING RON ALONG! Oh Arthur!…WHAT HAPPENED!? Are you all right? What…"

"I'm all right, Molly dear. We…er…just ran into…a bit of a…complication that's all," said Mr. Weasley as his ears started to turn pink.

"**_COMPLICATION_**! WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'COMPLICATION'? You mean you were…attacked?! And don't lie to me, I'll know! Oh, I told you not to take Ron along! It was too dangerous!"

"But mum, I wanted to go. Harry…"

"You stay out of this Ronald Weasley! I can't believe that I let you go! Oh, Harry, dear are you all right? Come on, now let's get you all into the house and out of the night air. I still can't believe you Arthur…" rambled Mrs. Weasley as she pushed Ron and Harry toward the house.

When the two of them entered into the house, they were both greeted with the warm smell of freshly baked bread and cookies that were sitting on the kitchen table cooling. Ron went to make a grab for one of the cookies, but quickly dropped it because of the heat. He continued to wince and shake his hand to cool it off when his mum walked in.

"Ron how many times have I told you not to touch the cookies when they are still on the sheet?"

"Sorry mum." he said in a low tone.

Harry backed out of the way as he watched Remus and one of the other Ministers bring in Sirius and one of the other Ministers who was a tall, bald, black man. They place Sirius in chair in the living room and the Minister on the couch. Harry could now see that the Minister's arm was slightly at an odd angle and that it slunk down farther than his other.

"All right now Arthur, tell me what happen!" said Mr. Weasley in a harsh tone.

"All right, all right, if you must know, yes we were attacked." 

Mrs. Weasley gasped and all the color in her face drained away. "I knew it! Oh, Arthur…what did they do?"

"A small group of Death Eaters came out of nowhere and jumped us as we were getting to the cars. Now I'll tell you more later, but right now we need to fix them up," said Mr. Weasley as he went over to the Minister on the couch.

"Yes, of course." said Mrs. Weasley in a whisper and went over to a cabinet and got out a large box, which Harry assumed to be some sort of wizard first aid kit. Mrs. Weasley and Remus worked on the minister's broken arm and dislocated shoulder, while another minister with short brown hair started to make a potion for Sirius to drink. Mr. Weasley went over to a drawer and pull out a piece of parchment and began to write a letter. 

"Harry would it be all right if I borrowed Hedwig to send Dumbledore a letter? I don't really trust Errol to make it there in one piece," said Mr. Weasley.

"Umm, yeah. Sure, go ahead." said Harry as he continued to watch everyone at work and began to wonder whether or not Sirius would recover or not.

After a few minutes of spells, incantations, and slight shouts of pain, both Sirius and the minister were all fixed up.

"Well that takes care of that. Now Arthur, tell me what exactly happened." said Mrs. Weasley as she turned to her husband, who was now in the kitchen with Harry and Ron making tea for everyone.

"In a second Molly. Here you two take this in there for everyone," said Mr. Weasley as he handed two trays of tea and cookies to Ron and Harry. The two boys carried the trays into the living room and placed them on the coffee table. Everyone was sitting around it with a roaring fire going in the hearth.

"Harry I don't think you have been properly introduced to everyone." said Remus as helped Mrs. Weasley distribute tea to everyone. "This is Corky Bluntter," he said pointing to the short brown haired wizard who was making the potion of Sirius.

"Hello there Harry," he said as he made a little bow.

"Over here is Kingsley Shackelbolt," Remus indicated to the bald, black wizard who now had his arm in a sling, and politely nodded. "And this is Mario Fictioner." nodding toward an older wizard with sandy colored hair, who was sitting near Sirius.

"Hello Harry. It's nice to meet you." said Mario as he shook Harry's hand.

"Nice to meet you too." said Harry. He and Ron later took a seat on the loveseat around the table like everyone else.

"All right now Arthur.."

"O.k. Molly o.k. Well like I said before we were attacked when we were walking toward the cars…"

As Mr. Weasley went into telling Mrs. Weasley about what happened when they were attacked, Harry noticed that three pieces of what looked to be fleshed colored string were hanging over the staircase. Mrs. Weasley noticed that Harry was staring at something. She turned around and looked toward the stairs, she also saw the fleshed colored strings hanging too.

"FRED! GEORGE! GINNY! WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT LISTENING IN ON OTHER PEOPLE'S CONVERSATIONS?!" yelled Mrs. Weasley. Suddenly everyone in the room heard three people from the stairs start to groan and climbed down the stairs. Ron's twin brothers Fred and George and their little sister Ginny came down the stairs in their pajamas rubbing their ears and holding the long pieces of flesh colored string.

"Ya know, you didn't need to yell mum. We could hear you loud and clear." said George.

"Yeah, no need to go all mental on us mum. Hey there Harry!" said Fred as he went over and sat down on the arm of the loveseat next to Harry. George did the same and sat on the arm next to Ron. Ginny sat down on the floor between Fred and the chair that Sirius was sitting in.

"What is that thing?" inquired Harry as he continued to look at the string that Fred had in his hand.

"Extendable Ears. One of the new products that George and I invented," said Fred.

"Great for listening in on conversations." said George.

"I thought I told you two to stop making all those ridiculous items! What are you two going to do once your done with Hogwarts this year? Running a joke shop is not a very respectable job." said Mrs. Weasley whose face was beginning to turn a light shade of red.

"Yeah, mum we know," said Fred and George together.

"So, what happened dad? What did the Death Eaters do after they surrounded you?" asked Ginny eagerly.

"Well…"

"Hold it right there! Ginny, you and the rest of you lot need to go to bed. It's way past…"

"Oh come on mum!" cried Ginny.

"Why do we have to go? Were of age now!" protested Fred.

"Yeah, we even past our Apparation test!" exclaimed George.

"They've got a point there Molly," said Remus

"Besides, they'll hear about it anyway. One way or another." said Mr. Weasley has he rolled his eyes and glanced over at the Extendable Ears.

"Oh all right! Fine!" huffed a red faced Mrs. Weasley, seeing that there was no use in continuing on.

Mr. Weasley continued on with his story. He told them all about how the Death Eaters tied them up, but left out some parts (like how he and several others were placed under the Cruciatus Curse). When he got to the part about how the dark hooded figure came and rescued them, they were shocked and relieved that their father and that rest of them weren't forced to endure even more torture. 

"Mr. Weasley? What was that figure in the sky when we left? What does it mean?' inquired Harry.

"That figure was the symbol of The Order of the Phoenix. It's a secret society that Dumbledore created the last time You-Know-Who was in power. Everyone here is a member, well except you lot," said Mr. Weasley. "Since your not of age yet." 

"We are!" replied Fred and George.

"_You're _not done with school yet! Arthur, did you sat that the figure was a woman," asked Mrs. Weasley. Mr. Weasley nodded and took another sip of his tea.

"Yeah, it was weird. One minute it was this raspy, evil voice, and the next it's some woman's. It was wicked!" said Ron.

"Oh, Ron! Harry! You two must have been so scared!" cried Mrs. Weasley as she got up and went over to where Ron and Harry sat and gave them a great big bear hug.

"Molly, honey, don't strangle the poor boys." said Mr. Weasley.

"Oh, sorry," she said as she pulled away from Harry and Ron who now started to regain their normal color. "Well I think you lot need to get to bed."

"Aww but mum…"

"No buts. Now hurry along now." 

"I think that we should get going to," suggested Mario. With that the three Ministers bid them all goodnight and left the Burrow for London. The Weasley children and Harry reluctantly started to ascend the stairs, but Sirius called Harry back.

"Harry are you sure your o.k." he asked.

"Yeah, I'll be all right. I think. But I just have one question?"

"Sure go ahead…ask away," said Sirius although he had a pretty good idea as to what the question was.

"Well…I was just wondering who that woman was? I know you know who it was or at least have some idea as to who she is?"

"Ah…yeah…that…well…she's…um…well she's…" stuttered Sirius as he ran he hand through his long black hair.

"She's a friend, Harry," stated Remus.

"A friend?" asked Harry in a skeptical tone.

"Yeah, s-she's just and old friend and a member of the Order. That's all," said Sirius.

"Oh,…o-o.k. Well, goodnight then." said Harry and he made his way up the steps to Ron's room at the top of the stairs. As he was climbing, he still got the feeling that there was more to that mystery woman than what they were leading on too. When he got to one of the higher landings, he saw that all the Weasley children were leaning over the banister holding Extendable Ears to their ears. George handed Harry an extra one and began to listen in on Sirius and Remus's conversation.

"Moony…was that.."

"Yeah, it was, Padfoot."

"What the devil was she thinking? Disguising her voice to sound like Voldemort's! Taking on all those Death Eaters, including Lucius!" whispered and outraged Sirius.

"I think she was trying to save us and not get us all killed in the process."

"Yeah, but she didn't need to disguise her voice like his!"

"Well what else was she suppose to do? Disguise it as Dumbledore's? Come on Sirius…think about it. She really didn't have a choice. You know that Lucius and the rest of them would have handed Harry over only to Voldemort. She had to do it."

"Yeah, but still. Wait…how did you know it was her before the spell was lifted?"

"I kind of guessed it was her. I mean Dumbledore said that he was going to France to get her. And when she called you 'Blackie'…well that kind of confirmed my theory. I mean there were only two people who really called you that in that type of tone."

"Yeah, I remember. I _hated _when she called me that. Both of them. God, why didn't I notice it when you did?"

"You were too worried about Harry, like she was…like we all were."

"Yeah, I guess your right. How do think Harry would have reacted if we told him the _whole_ truth about Sparky?" chuckled Sirius.

"Don't know. Probably a little shocked."

"Yeah, Sparky always did have that effect on people."

"You're just lucky that she's not here now to hex you. You know she hated that name; even after Hogwarts. Just as much as you hated being called 'Blackie' if not more." chuckled Lupin.

"Yeah, I know." said Sirius in a sorrowful tone. "Well, I guess that he'll learn who she really is sooner or later."

"Probably sooner rather than later."

At that moment, Harry took out the Extendable Ear from his ear canal and looked over at Ron. They were both thinking the same thing: Why would Harry be shocked at finding out who this Sparky person is?

******************************

(_Meanwhile…while all this happen…)_

"What did you do _now?_" said Christine in a stern tone with her eyebrow raised and her arms crossed.

Miranda ignored Christine's question and proceeded to go up toward one of the spiral staircases that led to the study. 

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" yelled Christine as Miranda walked into the study. The room was filled with yet more books, both muggle and wizard. She walked over to the antique desk in the far corner of the study and pulled out a roll of parchment and a quill.

"What do you think you're doing? I asked you a question. What the hell happen?" asked Christine who was now in the round mirror across from where the fireplace was.

"I can't talk right now. I need to send this to Dumbledore." snapped Miranda as she continued to write the letter to Dumbledore.

"But I want to know! Come on tell me what happened!" cried Christine.

"Hey! You've got the direct line to the Ministry, remember? This place was once owned by it, wasn't it? Use it!" screamed Miranda as she looked over the part she had just written.

"Fine I will!" yelled Christine in a sarcastic tone. She closed her eyes and began to listen in on what was going on in the many offices in the Ministry of Magic. Miranda continued to finish writing her letter to Dumbledore briefly telling him what happened and that she would be at Hogwarts very soon. After a few moments, Christine opened her eyes wide, full of fear and surprise. 

"Y-you…didn't? Did you," asked Christine barely above a whisper. Miranda got up from the desk and rolled up the parchment. She turned and saw the look on Christine's face full of fear and anguish. She couldn't bear to see that look on her own face. Miranda closed her eyes, nodded and said, "Yes, I did."

"B-b-but _why_?! Why would conger something like that? Are you insane? Do you have any idea what you just started?!" screeched a frustrated Christine.

"Don't start with me now, o.k.? And don't call me crazy, because I'm not." said Miranda.

"Well you sure fooled me. What if some muggles saw you create that? What if he saw…"

"He did. And he knows!" bellowed Miranda as she began to walk out of the study and head back down toward the living room. When she got down there, her three house elves (Blinky, Jewels, and Ribbon) quickly got up from the couch and stood ready for orders. 

"Is everything all right, Miss Andy," squeaked Jewels. Miranda was about to answer her but was stopped.

"No everything is not all right!" roared Christine who was now back in the mirror about the fireplace. She looked at Miranda with her eyes wide and clear. "What do you mean 'he knows'? He wasn't there was he?" 

"Yes. He was there, although I couldn't see him, I felt him. And so did Harry." Christine looked at her fearful with tears starting to form in her eyes. All three of the house elves and Christine began to breathe very shallow breaths as they took in what was really going on. There was an awkward moment of silence that was broken by another squeaky voice.

"D-does…miss…m-mean t-that…'He-W-who-Must-N-not-Be-N-named' has r-returned," stuttered Ribbon. Miranda simply nodded and caused all three of the house elves to gasp in horror.

"You know what this means now, Miranda. It means that he's going to come after you and then he's…" exasperated Christine.

"I know, Christine. I'm well aware of what _could_ happen now." spat Miranda.

"Oh well good…so what should have them put on your tombstone? Hmm? 'Here lies Miranda Christine Starmenter: Beloved daughter, sister, and friend who was stupid enough to let 'You-Know-Who, her worst enemy, know that _she had returned to the place she left before because of him_!!!"

"Christine, save me the melodramatic speech would you. Besides that's not going to happen."

"How do you, huh? Nobody knows what the loon is going to do! But one thing's for sure. There are several people who he wants dead, and his top two people are you and that little brat of James and Lily's."

"And that's why I'm here. To make that that doesn't happen to Harry."

"And what about you? Miranda…you know that you can't stop You-Know-Who. No one can."

"That's not true. Voldemort can be stopped. One way or another."

"Don't say his name. You know I can't stand that." winced Christine.

"VOLDEMORT! VOLDEMORT! **_VOLDEMORT_!!!** God, you know you'd think that after all these years that you'd get use to hearing his name."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. 'Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing its self.' Yeah I've heard it enough from you and the rest of the Order…remember I was there too. But that doesn't mean I still don't like hearing that name. I know that I'm part you, but I'm also still part of your grandmother Andrea's mirror. I know that she wouldn't have liked hearing his name either."

"Whatever. Look I need to send this to Dumbledore and I need you three to pack up my things for Hogwarts. I'm eave tonight."

"Yes, Miss Andy," said Ribbon.

"We'll get on it," said Jewels.

"You can count on us lot," said Blinky. With that the three house elves ran quickly to the staircase and up to Miranda's room to pack her things. Miranda then went over to her pet owl Ariel. She was a beautiful gray and white owl with bright blue eyes.

"I need you take this to Professor Dumbledore immediately. I know it's asking a lot out of you Ariel, but could you please put a rush on it?" said Miranda as she tied the letter to Ariel's foot. She gave a soft hoot, an affectionate nip to Miranda's cheek, and flew off into the night sky toward Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"This is a mistake Miranda. We should just pack up and go back to France," said Christine as she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"And what about Harry? Huh? I'm not going to let him end up like his parents. I made a promise, and besides a few hours ago you were 'all glad to be home' and crap. Where is your sense of adventure?"

"Hey, I'm all for adventure, but what your talking about is suicide!" screamed Christine.

"If you come with me, I'll let you run through Hogwarts and spy on people. And I'll even let you get back at Peeves for that little present he gave you at the end of seventh year." sang Miranda.

Christine's eyes suddenly widen and an evil grin came across her face. "You're on."

"Good. Thought that would convince you. Now…get out of that mirror and help me pack." ordered Miranda, as she waved her wand and muttered a spell that allowed Christine to step out of the mirror and onto the living room floor. 

The two of them then carried the trunk from upstairs back down to the living room. Miranda unlocked three of the five locks that were on her trunk to allow the empty compartments to be filled. Christine went to the bookshelves and began to toss random Defense Against the Dark Arts books into the trunk as well as books on potions, charms, and several romance novels that she enjoyed reading. Miranda went to a nearby cabinet and began to put different ingredients used to make complicated potions. Wolf's bane, eye of newts, liver of squid, and several other items went flying to one of the compartments of the trunk, including a box with a label that read "**Do not use incase of extreme circumstances: contains something most people would never dream of taking.** _Remember to take on a slightly empty stomach and not to go swimming for at least and hour after consumption. Enjoy_!"

"Are you ready yet," inquired Christine as she finished empting one of the shelves on the second floor.

"Just a sec I have to go and get something." called Miranda as she finished emptying out her potions cabinet. She then ran up the staircase to her bedroom. There she went over to her closet and pulled out an old jewelry box and opened it. Inside was full of little charms, necklaces, and bracelets, that haven't been worn in years and were slightly out dated. Miranda took out a medium sized black box and a silver charm bracelet. On the bracelet were a little witch, a little racing broom, and a star charm, and I in between the charms were little blue stones in a loving setting. She put the bracelet on and started to close the jewelry box when something caught her eye, a silver heart locket on a thin silver chain. In the center of the locket was a small red jewel cut into the shape of a heart. Miranda looked at the old and slightly tarnished necklace, and remembered how she hardly ever took it off…and who gave it to her.

"ANDY ARE YOU READY YET?" shouted Christine at the bottom of the stairs. "You know some people can only stay out of a mirror so long before they start _disappear_!"

"Coming!" yelled Miranda, as she grabbed the necklace and put into her pocket.

"About time!" said Christine as Miranda came down the stairs. The sight of Christine nearly caused Miranda to trip on the steps. Christine's legs and part of her body were completely gone and the rest of her started to become see through as if she were a ghost.

"Oops, sorry! Forgot about that." said Miranda sheepishly as she helped Christine toward the mirror.

"Oh, really? Gee I hadn't noticed," said Christine. "Oh, maybe it's because of the fact that I'm almost _completely invisible!?" _

"I said I was sorry. God, you don't need to go all mental on me. You know it's been awhile since I had to ask you to come out," said Miranda in an apologetic tone as she helped Christine back in to the mirror over the fireplace and cast the sealing spell.

"Oh, all right. Ah, much better. Thanks! Now let's get going so that I can start planning my revenge on that meddlesome poltergeist once and for all." cackled Christine as an evil grin came across her face while she rubbed her hands together.

"Calm down, Chris. You know that you're going to be doing more than just getting back a Peeves."

"Yeah, I know. But seeing him squirm will be better than spying on a few patronizing little brats, and strict teachers." said Christine as Miranda took the mirror off the wall and placed it in the trunk. Once Miranda had all the locks on her trunk locked, she saw that her three house elves had appeared with two more bags of Miranda's things, including her trusty Comet Two Sixty. "Thanks! You three have been a big help." 

"I was our pleasure Miss," said all three of them in unison as two of them took a deep bow, while the other one curtsied.

Miranda walked over to the fireplace and placed her head into the hearth. She then, through some floo powder into the fire, and shouted "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" After a few moments of her head spiraling, Miranda opened her eyes and found that she was looking at the great office of the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Miranda could see that there was someone in the office sitting in one of the nearby chairs.

"Hello? Professor Dumbledore?" The person gave a small scream look toward the fire. It was not Professor Dumbledore, but the deputy headmistress Professor McGonagall. 

"Oh! Ms. Starmenter? Is that you?"

"Hello, Professor. Er-is Professor Dumbledore there?"

"I'm sorry but you just missed him. He went to the Ministry to sort out what happen this evening with the move." said Professor McGonagall as she raised her eyebrow to Miranda's head, and gave her a stern look. "What in the name of Merlin possessed you to do such a thing?"

"Er- well, I thought it would be good distraction for Vol…I mean 'You-Know-Who'." said Miranda awkwardly. "But I'll explain all that later. Right now I need to get to Hogwarts, the only problem is that I don't have enough floo powder for myself and my things to get there."

"What can I do to help," asked Professor McGonagall with a determined look on her face.

"I'm glad you asked. I was wondering if it would be alright if I sent my things, while I'll apparate to Hogsmeade."

"Do you think that's a wise idea Mr. Starmenter? Considering there are Death Eaters out looking for you as we speak."

"It's the only one I can think of. Besides, I'll be careful…but I really need to get my trunk to Hogwarts. If anything does happen to me, Dumbledore will need some of the items I have." said Miranda. _God I fell like I'm back in school asking her for permission! _ she thought.

"Very well. Send your things, and I'll inform the headmaster when he arrives that you are on your way." said Professor McGonagall with a worried look upon her face.

"Thank you, Professor."

"You can thank me when you get here in one piece. Please be careful dear!" With that Miranda took her head out of the fireplace. She then placed her trunk and bags into the fireplace and sent them to Hogwarts. As she watched the green flames engulf her things, she could hear Christine shout something from within the trunk. "Peeves here I come!"

Miranda then turned around toward her house elves who were now hanging their heads. "Now I want you three to raise the security measures once I'm gone. I might be back in a few days, but until then I want you to keep your guard up, o.k.? And don't let anyone in that you don't know."

"Please don't go Miss Andy!" cried Ribbon as he ran toward Miranda and clung on to her right leg.

"Ribbon I'm sorry but I have too." said Miranda in a soft tone.

"Miss Andy doesn't have to go! It isn't safe!" cried Jewel as she grabbed a hold of Miranda's other leg.

"Yes, what if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named catches Miss and…OH MISS ANDY PLEASE DON'T GO!!" sobbed Blinky as he too grabbed a hold of a part of Miranda. Miranda then bent down and pulled them gently off her.

"Listen to me, all three of you, I'll be fine, but I have to go. If I don't help Dumbledore and the others, then Voldemort will destroy everything. Come here." she said as she pulled all three of them into a group hug. "I love you all, but if I don't go then I don't even want to imagine what he would do. Especially to you house elves. I'll be fine."

"Miss must promise us that she'll return to Blinky, Ribbon, and Jewel in one piece!" crocked Jewel.

"I've told you, I'll be…"

"MISS MUST PROMISE!!" shouted Blinky and Ribbon. "PROMISE?"

"All right, I promise. I'll come back in one piece."

"Are you sure?" asked Blinky.

"Cross my heart." said Miranda as she crossed her heart and pulled them into another hug. "I'm going to miss you."

"We'll miss Miss too." they all sobbed in unison. With that Miranda got up and walked over to her window. She turned around and at that moment, Midnight jumped into her arms. "You want to come along too?" With that Midnight simply purred which Miranda took as yes. 

"Oh all right then. I'll come back for you later Amber." she said as she looked over at Amber who was sitting by the window stretching. "In the mean time, I want you to keep eye out for anything. And if something should come up, I want you to let me know immediately o.k.?" 

"Meow." said Amber as she blinked her pale blue eyes.

"All right then. Take care," and with that Miranda and Midnight apperated to The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade.

There was no one really in the pub except for a few people who were playing cards and having drinks. Some of the people were asleep at tables still holding their tankers. Miranda and Midnight quietly walked out of the pub and into the foggy night air. All the shops were now dark and eerie looking as they walked past them and out of Hogsmeade. A large cloud now hid the little bit of moonlight that did manage to break through the fog. "_Lumos_!" muttered Miranda as her wand light up. As the two of them walked along the path toward Hogwarts, Miranda got the funny feeling that she was being watched.

"Guess we should have taken the tunnel in Shrieking Shake, huh Midnight?"

"Meow!" said Midnight. As they got closer to Hogwarts, Miranda could still feel that she was being followed. Suddenly Midnight jumped in front of her and began to hiss.

"What is it Midnight?" Suddenly red beam of light came out of nowhere nearly hitting Miranda. As she looked around to see where the sparks came from, she suddenly realized that she was once again surround by a group of Death Eaters.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Ms. Miranda Starmenter. Out for an evening stroll are we?" said one of the Death Eaters who sounded vaguely familiar to her.

"What's it to you?" spat Miranda.

"The Dark Lord wishes to speak to you," said another Death Eater on the other side of Miranda.

"Oh really? He does now does he? Well, you can tell him that I have nothing to say to him and whatever he has to say I'm not interested."

"I don't think you understand," chuckled another Death Eater. "The Dark Lord will not take no for an answer."

"Well, until Voldemort decides to come here and talk to me face to face, my answer is still no. Unless he's to afraid of me or that someone might recognize him." laughed Miranda.

"How dare you mock the Dark Lord! You don't even deserve to say his name. Now I'll say it again, the Dark Lord would like a word with you." said the first Death Eater in a slightly raised voiced.

"I say that Voldemort can kiss my ass, because I have nothing to say to him," said Miranda with a smile. "So…if you all don't mind, I have more pressing matters to attend to." She took a few steps forward but was blocked by two large Death Eaters.

"Don't make this difficult now, Miranda," snarled one of the Death Eaters in front of her whose voice sounded familiar too.

"No! You know the master ordered us not to harm her," warned the first Death Eater.

"Oh what? Voldemort has gone soft? What he doesn't want to show me the same kind of 'hospitality' that he showed to all of my friends the last time?" mocked Miranda in a hurt tone.

"You're coming with us, now!" ordered the frustrated wizard in front of her.

"Make me."

"That can be arranged. _Crucio_!" cried the wizard. Miranda narrowly missed the curse that the Death Eater cast, as she ducted and rolled to the ground.

"No, Macnair! You idiot!" cried one of the Death Eaters.

"_Expelliarmus_!" cried Miranda and disarmed the Macnair and the other Death Eater. One of the cloaked figures from behind Miranda started to charge at her but was stopped when Midnight jumped at the person and clawed at the Death Eater's face.

"OW! GET OFF YOU STUPID CAT!" cried a female voice as the Death Eater grabbed a hold of Midnight and hurtled her into the night sky.

"Hey!" cried Miranda as she cast a spell that sent the witch flying through the air. "Pick on someone your own size!"

"SEIZE HER!" cried one of the Death Eaters.

"Come on Midnight!" yelled Miranda as she got up and started to run with Midnight right at her heels. "Yep, definitely should have taken the tunnel!" Random stunning spells shot toward Miranda nearly hitting her here and there. She called out different spells pointing her wand over her shoulder while she continued to run for her life. She could hear the groans and shouts of pain that let Miranda know that some of her spells had hit a few Death Eaters. Her and Midnight weaved in and out among some nearby trees trying to avoid getting hit. Some of the trees shriveled up and died, while others exploded into flames. Miranda having know clue where she was now, continued to run through the fog looking for some form of protection. She knew that she was probably close to Hogwarts now, but had no idea which direction it was in. Suddenly, Miranda realized that not that many stunning spells were being cast. '_They've split up.' _thought Miranda as she gripped onto her wand even tighter now. She stopped for a few seconds to catch her breath and thought she saw some place where she could hide out for a few minutes. Seeing that the cost was clear, she made a break for it. 

"_CRUCIO!_" hissed a voice. White-hot pain coursed throughout Miranda's entire body causing her to scream out in pain and fall flat on her face, dropping her wand at the same time. The pain was so excruciating Miranda could barely breathe. When the wizard finally lifted the curse off her, she gasped for breath and frantically searched for her wand, while she violently shook. She saw that her wand had been thrown several feet from where she was.

"Well, well, well, I guess the great Miranda isn't as quick as she once was." said Macnair from under his hood. She turned over to find that Macnair was a few feet away from her pointing his wand straight at her. Fear and panic started to rise in her as she tried to crawl away but was still feeling the effects of the Cruciatus Curse on her. She was alone, unarmed, and unable to protect herself. She knew that she was now going to be taken to the monster that has haunted her nightmares for most of her life, where she would most likely meet her demise.

"My master will be pleased with me once I've handed you over to him. But…on second thought I think I'll take even more pleasure in seeing you die before me now for what you've done to me and my family! _Avada Kedavra!_" 

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A/N- Dun dun dun…oh no what'll happen next? Sorry it took so long to put this out. I'm all ready starting to write chapter eight now, so I'm hoping to finish that and put it out with in a couple of days. Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far, and to Kel for helping think up of a good way to end this chapter. Please review; I don't care if it's good, bad, or whatever. I'll take any and all forms of criticisms, and any ideas as to what should happen next.

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Disclaimer: All the original Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. "Jo" Rowling. She's the one you want to go not me. I only own the characters I made up and this story's plot.


	8. Chapter Eight: Adversaries Unite

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Secrets of the Past

Chapter Eight: Adversaries Unite

Miranda braced herself for the end. She closed her eyes thinking about how she let down everyone she cared about, Dumbledore, Remus, Lily, James, Sirius, Harry…how she would never get to tell any of them how sorry she was for what she did all those years ago. She could see the bright green light through her closed eyes and could hear the rush of death come towards her. But then…nothing. She never felt the curse come and fully hit her.

'Okay…why am I not dead?" thought Miranda. She saw another flash of green light and hear the rushing sound again, and then nothing. She dared to open one of her eyes and found that Macnair was still in front of her with his wand pointing straight at her. He had the same confused look on his face that Miranda had. He fired another curse at her and this time Miranda saw what stopped it from hitting her. Every time Macnair cast a curse at her, the spell would instantly dissolve in midair halfway to where Miranda was laying. Suddenly, as if on cue, the fog started to rise up and both of them saw that Miranda was now on the other side of gate with two large winged boars standing guard over them on two stone pillars.

"What the…"said a very surprised and confused Macnair. Miranda noticed that his eyes started to become very round and fearful to something behind her. She slowly turned around and found the great, vast castle of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry basking in the moonlight. She heard Macnair's cries of anger and frustration, and spun around just in time to see him lunge at her. But before Miranda could do anything to stop him or brace for the impact of his attack, Macnair hit the magical barrier and was tossed back a couple of feet. Not wanting to know what he was going to do next, Miranda took the opportunity to get as far away from Macnair as fast as she could. She stumbled getting to her feet, grabbed her wand, and started to fun full throttle up the grounds towards the castle.

Wondering whether or not Macnair had broke through the barrier or not, she quickly looked behind her shoulder. Through the darkness and haze, she could still hear Macnair's voice cursing in frustration. Suddenly Miranda hit something that felt like a small house causing her to fall to the ground. Two large hands grabbed a hold of her and started to pick her up.

"Let me go you…you," yelled a frustrated Miranda as she tried to get away.

"Calm down! Calm down, now. Just where do yeh think yer going ter, eh?" said a calm happy voice as he tried to keep a hold of a squirming Miranda.

The second she heard the giant man speak, she stopped squirming. '_I know that voice_.' she thought.

"Hagrid?" said Miranda in a questionable tone. She looked over her left shoulder and could now see the shaggy mane and bearded face of Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.

" Well, o' course. Who else did yeh think it would be? Huh? Yeh don' know any other 'airy giants her now do yeh?" chuckled Hagrid as he let go of Miranda.

Miranda was a little taken back by the presence of the gentle giant of a man before her. She hadn't seen him in years, but he looked like he hadn't changed a bit, except that his hair was a little bit messier than she remembered. 

"Oh, Hagrid. It's so good to see you! Ah, sorry about my little 'resistance'." said Miranda awkwardly.

"Ah, that's alright'. I'm just glad that I caught yeh. Everyone's been worried about…EGAD! What in the name of Merlin happen ter yeh?!"

Hagrid saw blood trickling down the side of her face caused by a gash on the side of her head from when she fell. He could see and almost feel the pain that was in her eyes. She had been tortured, beaten, and scared both physically and mentally.

"I'm all right," lied Miranda as she tried to hid the effects of a number of curses and hexes that head been cased on her all in one night. 

"Codswallop! Yer a wreck! Oh, wait until I get me hands on them ruddy beats! I'll…" said Hagrid with his giant fists shaking with rage.

"Hagrid NO! There are too many of them." distressed Miranda.

"Let's just get yeh up ter the school. Dumbledore be want' in a word with yeh," said Hagrid solemnly. He warped one of his massive arms around her back to shield her help her along as they made their way to the school. Miranda was practically dead on her feet and in tremendous pain as she neared the castle. But years of training as an Aurora under Moody, and learning how to live with pain of all types helped her to continue on.

When the tow of them reached the Entrance Hall a very anguished Professor McGonagall, who had been pacing back and forth absentmindedly, greeted them.

"Well it's about time. Thank heavens you found her Hagrid. Oh, Ms. Starmenter what were you thinking?! Taking on all those Death Eaters twice in one night? My God! I would have thought that you would have more common sense than that!"

"Hello to you too, Professor McGonagall." said Miranda in a low contemptuous voice.

"Er calm down dere Professor. It wasn't her fault. They came out of nowhere," said Hagrid trying to help out with the situation.

"Yes, but still…"

"I know, I know, Professor. I'm well aware of what I have done and the consequences of those actions," said Miranda in a prominent tone. _('Believe me after spending all those years with the Maunders I _definitely_ know about consequences,'_ thought Miranda.) "But right now I need to speak to Professor Dumbledore. Can you please tell me where he is?" pleaded Miranda.

"No need Minerva, I'm right here." said Dumbledore as he came down the grand staircase.

"Professor." said all three of them.

"Ah, Ms. Starmenter you have arrived, and in one piece I see. I guess that new security charm really does work," said Dumbledore.

__

'So…that's why the curse never hit me,' thought Miranda. "I guess I should owe you another thank you." _('For what now…the hundred and thirty-first time.')_

"Don't even worry about that now my dear. I'm just relieved that Professor Flickworth, myself, and our potions master established the charm just in the nick of time." chuckled Dumbledore happily. The bright sparkle that could always be found behind his half-moon spectacles in his bright blue eyes shinnied brightly in the near darkness of the Entrance Hall. "Although I'd wish that you would have stayed at your place just a little bit longer. We could have then provided a safer way of transportation. But no matter," smiled Dumbledore as he descended the stairs to join the others in the middle of the hall.

"I'm sorry Professor. I tried to get here as quickly and as quietly as I could. I explained it all in the letter I sent you." said Miranda quietly as she glanced down toward the floor.

"Yes, yes, I did receive your owl along with one form Arthur Weasley; both explaining what had happened this evening. I must say though, you put on one spectacular rescue."

"Arthur? You've heard from him? Did they get to the Burrow? What about…" Miranda quickly said as a rush of panic and concern poured out of her.

"Relax, Andy, relax," said Dumbledore in a soothing tone as she raised his hand to silence her. "Everyone is perfectly fine now and safe thanks to you. Kingsley suffered a broken arm but is doing well as to be expected. Sirius endured a slight concussion caused by a nasty stunning curse caste on him, but is fine now."

"And Harry?" said Miranda with a sense of fear behind her words.

"Harry is fine as to be expected," chimed Dumbledore. Miranda let out a sigh of relief and quietly said 'Thank God' to herself. "However…he his scar did start to hurt as they were escaping. But afterwards it subsided."

"He was there, Professor. I felt that he was close to where we were." said Miranda in a slightly apprehensive tone.

"That I did expect. I guess that it's safe to assume that Voldemort knows you have returned."

Miranda glanced down at the floor and bit her bottom lip as she nodded to his statement. She could feel Professor McGonagall's stern glare barring down on her and could sense Hagrid's uncomfortable feelings. She knew that now she had added more fuel to a fire that was already beginning to burn out of control. With Voldemort knowing that she was back in town and working with Dumbledore and the Order, it would be only a matter of time before he tries to finish her.

"We can discuss that task a little later. Now if I'm not mistaken, I believe that Madam Pomfrey is ready and waiting to tend to our new professor," said Dumbledore breaking the nerve-racking silence that Miranda was grateful to have been broken.

"All right." nodded a fairly weak Miranda. Her entire body ached from the countless number of curses and hexes that were placed on her. Her head felt like it was in some sort of vice grip and she could barely stand up straight if not for Hagrid standing right beside her propping her up. She took a step forward and began to sway back and forth. She stumbled back a bit but was caught by Hagrid's massive hand.

"I'll ask that you climb on to this to be taken up to the hospital wing," said Dumbledore. Miranda looked down at what Dumbledore was pointing to and saw that her had conjured a stretcher that hovered a few inches off the ground.

"No it's all right I can make it," winced Miranda as she made another feeble attempt to walk.

"Ms. Starmenter, might I remind you of where the hospital wing is again?" said McGonagall with her eyebrows raised, and motioned toward where Dumbledore was standing.

Miranda looked up at Dumbledore and her eyes began to widen as she gazed at the massive staircase behind him. She then remembered just exactly how far the hospital wing was and how many flights of stairs it took to get there.

"Uh, on seconded thought, maybe I should just take the stretcher," said Miranda as she slowly bent down a bit to climb on to the stretcher.

"Thought you would," chuckled Dumbledore lightly, while he directed the stretcher with his wand to hover before him. The moment the stretcher began it's journey to the hospital wing, Miranda drifted off into a deep slumber.

*******

"HA HA HA HA!!! Did you really think that you could stop me?" said a shrill high voice. "You'll never be rid of me my sweet. I'm everywhere, and soon…ah soon, we'll meet again." The shrill voice cackled maliciously, and suddenly a blast of bright green light shown everywhere.

__

Clop, Clop, Clop. 

'What in the world…?' thought Miranda. She opened her eyes to a brightly sunlit room. She squinted as the rays of light caused her to have an even worse headache than she already had. As she looked around, she started to comprehend where exactly she was based on her surroundings. She found herself in the hospital wing that she hadn't seen since she was a seventh year student.

"Ah, good you're awake. How are you feeling today, Miranda?" said Madam Pomfrey as she came up to her bed and began to check her pulse.

"A little bit lousy, actually. My head is throbbing, but other than that, I feel fine," said a groggy Miranda.

"Well that's to be expected. Here drink this draught, it will help with the side effects," said the determined nurse, as she handed over a glass of a murky blue liquid. 

Miranda forced down the potion that began to taste like old sweaty socks, and instantly the throbbing in the back of her head began to subside and she could now start to think clearly again.

"Thanks, Madam Pomfrey," said a sour faced Miranda as she tried not to gag at the awful tasting elixir. Just then Professor McGonagall marched into the hospital wing.

"Good you're awake. How are you feeling now, Ms. Starmenter?"

"Much better now, thanks," said Miranda in a slightly pleasant tone hoping to lessen the stern look on McGonagall's face, with no such luck.

"Professor Dumbledore would like a word with you once you are ready to leave the hospital wing. Is she well Pomfrey?"

"She is, but I want you take it easy, Miranda. You went through a terrible ordeal last night, and I don't want you to over exert yourself. You're lucky to even be alive," said Madam Pomfrey in a stern tone almost as equal to McGonagall's.

"All right, I promise. I'll take it easy," said Miranda slightly eager to be rid of the two stern witches before her. After Miranda changed out of her pajamas and into some dark blue robes, with a pair of black jeans, and a white shirt underneath it, she followed McGonagall out of the hospital wing to Dumbledore's office. When the two witches arrived at the stone griffin Professor McGonagall spoke the password (bubble gum), the griffin moved to the side to reveal the revolving staircase. They both got on rose up the tower to Dumbledore's door. As they neared the office, Miranda could hear slightly muffled voices grow louder. When they reached the door, McGonagall gave a firm knock.

"Enter!" came the headmaster's voice through the door. With that both witches entered into the grand room of the headmaster's office. The walls were still covered with pictures of former headmasters and headmistress, and the silver devices were still on the same table and Fawkes, the grand ruby and gold phoenix was perched next to Dumbledore's desk. The room looked liked it hadn't changed since the last time she was in a little over a decade and a half ago. There were a couple of people in the office to; some of them were sitting in chairs but a few were standing. Sitting in his distinguished chair behind his desk was Dumbledore looking slightly tired and weary. 

"Professor," said McGonagall.

"Thank you Minerva. Ah, Ms. Starmenter, nice to see you up and about again," said Dumbledore cheerfully as a slight spark shinned in his eyes again.

"Thanks," said Miranda awkwardly.

"I assume you know mostly everyone here," said the headmaster as he waved his hand gesturing to the others in the room.

She looked around and found her old mentor Alastor Moony sitting in a chair near Dumbledore's desk, Mundungus Fletcher who was standing in a corner looking at the silver objects with interest, Arthur Weasley was sitting in a chair next to Moony, and standing near the fireplace was…

"Remus!" said Miranda as she gazed on her old school mate.

"Hello Star," said Remus. "How are you feeling?"

"Better now," she said with a slight chuckle and raised her brow a bit. "How are you doing? Oh, it's so good to see you, all of you again. Although I hoped it was under different circumstances."

"Ehem." said coughed a witch to Remus's right. Miranda didn't really notice her before although she didn't really know how she could have missed a neon green haired witch.

"Oh, Andy you remember Nymphora, don't you?" said Dumbledore.

"Andromeda's daughter? But…geez I haven't seen you since you were a kid," said a stunned Miranda. _'Man I've been gone a long time.'_

"Nice to see you again too, Star. Oh and it's Tonks by the way," smiled Tonks as she looked at the witch before her that was once like a big sister and slight mentor to her.

"Tonks?" said Miranda as she tried to stifle a fit of laughter that threatened to come out.

"Ah come on! Would you want everyone to call you _Nymphora_?" she asked and stressed her name with great disgust while rolling her eyes.

"Good point," replied Miranda not able to come up with an argument.

"Well now that that's in order, shall we continue?" asked Dumbledore. With that everyone went back to there originally place and Miranda took an empty chair that was near the fireplace with Remus and Tonks. 

"It seems safe to assume that the first part of our plan is a success. Thanks of course to our returning member. Harry and his relatives are safe for the time being. As for our other members, they are doing much better now. Unfortunately we have hit a small obstacle. Because of Miranda's rescue last night, it has come to Voldemort's attention that our Ms. Starmenter has returned from her journey," said Dumbledore with a slight solemn look upon his face. But the way he said about Miranda's return…he made it seem like she was just on vacation or holiday, which caused Miranda to wonder.

"So with that, I propose that Miranda remain in the safety of Hogwarts until the start of term. Then she will have free reign of the grounds and Hogsmeade in order to secure the safety of the students, and of course plan her lessons," said Dumbledore with a slight chime.

"Umm…professor? About that…my-er-lessons…" stuttered Miranda.

"Yes?"

"Well, I was wondering…I mean it's just…I'm not quite sure…" she stuttered and sighed.

"Andy you'll be fine. You were one of the brightest students in your year. They aren't that bad, although a word of caution to two seventh years that have the tendency to, how did they put it once, 'liven up the joint a bit,' I believe," said Dumbledore with a chuckle that caused his eyes to sparkle even more. He gave a quick glance toward the direction of Arthur Weasley who suddenly turned a slight shade of pink.

"The order will be behind you in case there is any trouble," said Mr. Weasley brightly.

"I know that," stated Miranda.

"Then what more do you need to know, Starmenter?" inquired Moody.

"Uh, well I guess _knowing _what subject I'll be teaching might be a plus," said Miranda with a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Oh," said several voices at once. Tonks, who was standing near Remus, was trying to suppress a laugh that was caused by the look on everyone's face. Remus sniggered affectionately at being reminded of his old friends sarcasm. Dumbledore continued to look on from behind his desk with a warm smile on his face and that familiar twinkle behind his half-moon spectacles.

"Forgive me, my dear. I thought I made that clear when I last spoke to you. Old man's senility setting in."

"It's find, Albus," chuckled Miranda. "And you're not old. So what class? Divinations? Alchemy? How to avoid getting into detention when you get caught?"

"No…Defense Against the Dark Arts." said Dumbledore simply.

"D-defense Against th…wow!" whispered a breathless and shocked Miranda. For some reason she never really thought of being able to teach the Dark Arts class. When she learned that she was going to be teaching a class, the thought never crossed her mind. But now, she couldn't believe how dense she could be to not realize that she would be teaching one of the most infamous classes at Hogwarts. A position that had been held by many professors before her…

"Professor I'm honored…wait a sec…isn't that the class that's cursed?" 

"Well, that is one thought that has been around for awhile," said Mundungus.

"Pure rubbish," said McGonagall. 

"I think that should be enough for now. I'll see you all at headquarters soon," said Dumbledore as he rose from his chair. With that, Arthur Weasley, Mundungus, Tonks, and Professor McGonagall headed for the door and down the revolving staircase. Mad-Eye Moody rose from his chair and made his way over to wear Miranda now stood. 

"I'll keep in touch with you Starmenter," he growled. "and remember to keep constant vigilance over your task."

"Yes Moody, I know," sighed Miranda as she rolled her eyes to her former mentor.

"This is no game girl. That whole attitude of yours back then won't work now," said Moody in a stern and grave tone.

"That's funny cuz I thought I did a pretty good job the last time I went up against Voldemort and his goons. And the time before that, and the time before that, and the time before that, and oh yeah, the time before that." stated Miranda with a smirk.

"That was just pure luck and coincidence. It's a new game now, with new rules and players."

"Fine. All right. I'll play by the rules," sighed Miranda as she gave up her little game of sarcasm. 

"Don't give me that look. You must remember to keep constant vigilance. _CONSTANT VIGILANCE!!!!_" bellowed Moody.

"That will be enough Alastor," said Dumbledore as he came up from behind Moody and showed him to the door. Miranda then turned around to find that Remus was still standing by the fireplace looking at a portrait of a former headmaster who was snoring and grunting something in his sleep.

"You'd think that after fourteen years he'd learn a new saying," chuckled Miranda.

"What can I say, you know Moody," grinned Remus as he made his way over to where Miranda was and embraced her like a sister.

"How are you doing Rem," she asked as she parted from the hug. "You look a little pale. It's not…"

"No, not for another week or so. It's good to have you back Star."

"Thanks," said Miranda awkwardly. "Listen Moony I want to apologize."

"Apologize? Apologize for what? You saved a lot of lives last night, mine included," said Remus who was slightly confused at what she was getting at. "If this is about not being there sooner, it's all right."

"No it's not that…well that too. But…this is about what happened when I…when I left," said Miranda as she fought to find the words that she wanted to say.

Remus looked at her with compassion in his eyes. "Andy, just forget about that. It's in the pas…"

"Remus! Listen, I need to do this, all right? I know what I did was inexcusable, and no amount of 'I'm sorry' is going to mend what I've done. I just wanted you to know that I never in a million years would want to hurt you the way that I did. And if I could take it back I would in a heartbeat, but…" said Miranda as a feeling of relief came over her with each word that she had kept inside her for nearly fourteen years.

"Andy," 

"I know that I can't. And I wouldn't be surprised that if you never really wanted to talk to me ever again. I mean if it were me, I wouldn't ever want to speak to myself again and…"

"Miranda! I know! It's all right," said Remus as he tried to calm her down.

"Yeah, but…"

"Ms Starmenter," said Dumbledore who just re-entered the main part of his office again. "if there is one thing that you have yet to learn is how to accept forgiveness from your friends, and move on. Just let sleeping girnlows lie."

Miranda took the hint and abandoned her attempt to finish her apology. Dumbledore then walked over to where Fawkes was sitting and gave him a small treat that he pulled out of his robes.

"Now with the new security measures, I assume you would like to meet our potions mater," said Dumbledore as he stroked the phoenix's feathers.

"Well, y-yes. I mean if I'm going to be teaching here, I guess I should know the staff," said Miranda. Suddenly the sound of someone trying to suppress a laugh filled the room, which was coming from Remus.

"What's so funny, Rem?" asked Miranda surprised that her friend behavior.

"Nothing, but…are you sure she should see him now?" chuckled Remus looking at Dumbledore who now returned to his seat behind his desk.

"Yes Remus, I am," said Dumbledore simply.

"Sure of what? What's wrong with the guy? Does he have three heads or something?" inquired Miranda who was now confused with what the two men were talking about. Just then there was a knock on the door. 

"Enter," called Dumbledore.

"No not really…" said Remus who glanced at the door. Miranda looked at him and wondered who this potions master was and why Remus had a look of dislike on his face. That was until…

"You sent for me headmaster," said a voice from behind Miranda. Her eyes widen with shock and horror. 'I know that voice,' she thought. 

"No, it couldn't be," whispered Miranda. She turned around slowly, and there standing behind her in the archway was a person she thought she'd never see or hear from ever again, Severus Snape.

There he was standing there, with the same hooked nose and greasy hair plastered to his head. He still had those same black robes that made him look like he belonged at some gothic rock concert, if he only had on some black eyeliner.

"Ah, Severus. Yes I did, I assume you remember Ms. Starmenter?" said Dumbledore with a smile.

Snape looked on Miranda with a loathsome stare. The same stare that he gave to all the former Maunders and their offspring. Miranda returned his look with equally enough loathsome if not more. She looked and felt as if she was going to be sick right there in the middle of headmaster's office just by the sight of him.

"Yes…unfortunately," said Snape coldly.

"Speak for yourself," muttered Miranda. The amount of hatred radiating from the two of them was at an all time high.

"The reason why I called you here Severus is so that you and our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher can start on the new security measures," said Dumbledore trying to avoid a war from breaking out right in the middle of his office.

"Whoa, wait a minute! You mean to tell me that _he's _the school's Potions master?" said Miranda with stunned and appalled tone.

"Why yes of course," said Dumbledore as if it were obvious.

"You didn't say anything about Severus being involved in all of this." 

"You never let me finished my dear, if I remember correctly," said the headmaster in a pleasant tone. Miranda could not form words as the idea of working with Severus Snape sunk into her head. She knew that the headmaster was right in that he didn't let him finish telling her who was all involved back in Paris.

"Now then, you and Professor Snape will…"

"I'm sorry Dumbledore, but I can't work with _him_," stated Miranda.

"You see headmaster. I told you it was a bad idea to bring _her_ here. Trying to be the great savior are you?" said Snape with a smirk.

Miranda stuck her hand into her robes and grasped the handle of her wand. Remus noticed what she was doing and lightly touched her shoulder to hold her back. Seeing Remus's gesture brought a sense of satisfaction to Snape knowing that he was getting to her. As Miranda slowly came to her senses she let go of her wand, but kept her hand inside her robes…. Just in case.

"I'm not trying to be anyone's savior. I am here on Dumbledore's request. Now if you have a problem with that, then you're speaking to the wrong person," said Miranda as she stared straight into greasy haired wizard in front of her.

"The only problem I have is whether or not I need to be on my guard now," said Snape with venom in his voice.

"That's real funny because I was going to say the exact same thing about you," retorted Miranda.

"What's that suppose to mean?" said Snape knowing full well what the witch before him was getting at.

"Oh, I think you fully know what I'm talking about," said Miranda as she glanced at his arm.

"If I were you, I'd seriously reconsider about having another go at the dark lord again," said Snape as he inched closer to were Miranda was and stared directly into her eyes. "We wouldn't want to add another dark mark to your already ruined reputation now would we?"

"You know the funny thing about marks, Severus?" said Andy as she looked directly at the wizard before her. She then took a hold of his arm and pulled up his sleeve to reveal the mark of a Death Eater on his forearm. "They don't lie."

Severus startled and shocked at what she did, roughly pulled his arm away from Miranda and quickly pulled down his sleeve. If looks could kill, then the one that Snape was giving her now would have turned Miranda into a heap of ash right now.

"You see my problem, Severus, is that I don't work with followers of Voldemort. Especially ones who have been known to switch sides so quickly," said Miranda with pure malice in her voice.

"All right, that's enough from both of you," said Dumbledore in a tone that was not to be argued with. "Now Miranda, Severus has learned the error of his ways, and has come through for the Order many times."

"But what happens when the Order is counting on him in a time of need and _he_ decides to switch sides again?" said Miranda as she glared at Hogwarts Potion master.

"Miranda, do you trust me?" said Dumbledore. Andy looked at the old wizard with confusion. 

"Of course I trust you, Professor. You know that," said Andy not sure at what he was getting at.

"Then, put your trust in my faith toward Severus, as I have told him to do the same for you," said Dumbledore with that same sparkle glinting behind his half moon spectacles. Miranda knew that she had been beaten, and could not see any further reason to continue her arguing.

"Fine," she said dejectedly.

"Severus?" said Dumbledore.

"Fine," said Snape in the same tone as Miranda.

"Good! Then I believe a hand shake is in order," said Dumbledore brightly.

Both adversaries looked at each other with such disgust in their faces. They both extended their right hands and shook them quickly. Miranda then took her hand and swiped it against her robes as if she had touched something very slimy.

"Wonderful. Now if you will all excuse me, I have a meeting at the Ministry now," said Dumbledore. With that Snape, Remus, Miranda, and Dumbledore left the Headmaster's office and descended the revolving staircase. When they reached the bottom Dumbledore stopped both Miranda and Snape before they went their separate ways.

"I'll expect that you two will want to meet later to discuss the security of the school," said Dumbledore.

"If we must," said Snape rolling his eyes.

"Very well. You two will report with Professor McGonagall in her office tomorrow evening," said Dumbledore. At that, Snape gave a little bow, turn on his heels, and stormed away toward the dungeons with his black robes billowing behind him.

"I hope that's all right with you," said Dumbledore with a smile to Miranda.

"Yes, I think that would be better," responded Miranda, thinking that Dumbledore had the right idea of putting McGonagall in a room with her and Snape. She had a sudden vision of herself and Snape dueling each other when they would met up tomorrow.

"Very well. I will see the both of you later. I do believe that a bit of catching up is in order," said Dumbledore to the two friends before he made his way to the Ministry via a Portkey.

"Nice exit," said Miranda slightly impressed. Remus gave a slight chuckle at his friend's remark.

"It's good to have you back Star," said Remus as he opened his arms and embraced his friend.

"It's good to be back," said Miranda as she returned the hug.

"Oh, I almost forgot," said Remus as he parted from the embrace. "Dumbledore wanted me to give you this," he said as he pulled out a piece of parchment. "It's the address to headquarters."

"Oh," said Miranda as she took the piece of paper and opened it on it was written:

The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix my be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.

"Grimmauld Place? But wait isn't that…" said Miranda.

"The Black estate. Yeah, Sirius offered it up for the Order," said Remus, not quite sure if he should had his said his best friend's name.

"He did?" said Miranda, not picking up on her friend's hesitation.

"Yeah, he's also living there as well," said Remus. He figured that he might as well tell her about Sirius now before someone else did.

"He's…whoa wait a sec. S-Sirius is living in his family's house?" said Miranda in shock. Remus simply nodded not quite sure how she was going to react.

"Has he gone mental of something? Sirius hated living in that hell mouth! Hell I would to with a mother like his," said Miranda. She couldn't understand why on Earth would her once best friend would be living in a place that has haunted him since the day he was born.

"I know that. But the house is unplotable, so it is really the best place for headquarters. Besides, Dumbledore thinks he's best off there, with him still being on the run and all," said Remus.

"Hmm…bet he's having a grand old time. What with all those wonderful fuzzy memories of his life with his parents and all," said Miranda sarcastically.

"Yeah, can hardly contain himself. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't try sneaking out of the house again," said Remus with a chuckle.

"Wait, if he's not suppose to leave, then why was he there last night?" said Miranda.

"There was a change in plans and he also wanted to see Harry," said Remus. "You know he still cares about you." 

"After what I did to him? I wouldn't be surprise if he didn't try to hex me into the middle of next week," said Andy with a forced chuckle.

"Well I think that thought did cross his mind once or twice last night," said Remus with a chuckle but could still see the pain in his friend's eyes. "But he was worried about you last night."

"Yeah right," said Miranda as she rolled her eyes.

"It's true. Heck Molly had to sneak a sleeping daft into his drink just to get him to go to sleep last night," said Remus. Miranda gazed at her friend with hope and pain in her eyes. Hope that what he was tell her was true and that she might not have lost her best friend after all, and pain because of what she did to him nearly fourteen years ago. She was now eager to change the subject, which Remus quickly caught on as he saw her trying to fight back some tears.

"Hey so tell me what you have been up to in France. I was kinda surprised that you would be there of all places. I thought you would have gone back the states," said Remus.

"Well I did go back for a little bit, but it just didn't feel right being there. So I decided that if I couldn't be happy in the U.S. or in England, then the next best place would be France," said Andy, mentally thanking her friend for the change in subject. 

The two friends walked around the school grounds each talking about what they have been doing since the last time they talked to each other, and reminisced about some of the stupid things that they pulled while at school and the different pranks that the Marauders pulled while they were there.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Well there you have it chapter eight. Sorry it took so long to update. I originally started this chapter in July but then this nagging thing called life got in my way. (IE…Powderpuff football practice, my mom breaking her ankle (she's better now), taking care of the house, starting my senior, playing in Powderpuff (We won 14-0), and then falling out of interest with this story.) Anyways, I decided to finish this chapter and get it out before I forgot again, so here you go. I'm probably going to stop working on this story for a while because there are some things that might be hard to understand. So I decided to write a prequel starting with Harry's parents and their friends during their fifth year at Hogwarts. I might come back to this story latter on so keep checking in. I hope that you all check out my new story entitled 'Days in Avalon'. Well I guess that's it for now. Until next time….

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my ideas for this story and future stories involving the wonderful J.K. Rowling's characters. Everything else belongs to her. 


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